Word.ws English Dictionary

Synonyms of rue

101 similar words

Another word for rue is repent. Other synonyms of rue are contrition, misery, unhappiness, blueness and tristesse.

Synonyms and similar words for rue

nounSorrow; repentance; regret.

  • contritionThe state of being contrite; sincere penitence or remorse.
  • miseryGreat unhappiness; extreme pain of body or mind; wretchedness; distress; woe.
  • unhappinessThe feeling of not being happy.
  • bluenessMelancholy.
  • tristesse literarySadness.
  • mirthlessLacking mirth; devoid of joy; sad.
  • bluesA feeling of sadness or depression.
  • crestfallennessThe quality of being crestfallen.
  • dejectionA state of melancholy or depression; low spirits, the blues.
  • depressionA state of mind producing serious, long-term lowering of enjoyment of life or inability to visualize a happy future...
  • despondencyA feeling of depression or disheartenment.
  • distress
  • dolefulnessThe characteristic of being doleful; sadness.
  • downheartednessThe characteristic of being downhearted; sadness.
  • forlornnessThe state or characteristic of being forlorn; sadness; loneliness.
  • griefEmotional pain, generally arising from misfortune, significant personal loss, bereavement, misconduct of oneself or...
  • ill-beingThe state of being ill, unhealthy, or unhappy; misery; miserableness.
  • infelicity
  • melancholiaDeep sadness or gloom; melancholy.
  • melancholyGreat sadness or depression, especially of a thoughtful or introspective nature.
  • mourn literarySorrow, grief.
  • sadness
  • sorrowUnhappiness, woe.
  • sorrowfulnessThe quality or state of sorrow; sadness.
  • tristfulnessSadness; sorrow; melancholy.
  • undelightThe condition or feeling of lacking delight; unhappiness or displeasure.
  • woeGreat sadness or distress; a misfortune causing such sadness.
  • woefareDiscontentment; sorrow; unhappiness.
  • wretchednessAn unhappy state of mental or physical suffering.
  • agenbiteRemorse, ayenbite.
  • remorseSorrow; pity; compassion.
  • compunctionA pricking of conscience or a feeling of regret, especially one which is slight or fleeting.
  • guiltRegret for having done wrong.
  • penitenceThe condition of being penitent; a feeling of regret or remorse for doing wrong or sinning.
  • repentance
  • self-reproachBlame or condemnation directed at the self, as by the conscience.
  • sorriness
  • drearihead obsoleteSadness; dreariness.
  • heartsore rareHeartache, misery, grief.
  • mishappiness obsoleteUnhappiness; wretchedness; misery.
  • prosternation obsoleteDejection; depression.
  • regret obsoleteEmotional pain on account of something done or experienced in the past, with a wish that it had been different; a...
  • ruth obsoleteSorrow for the misery of another person; compassion, mercy, pity.

nounPity; compassion.

  • sympathyA feeling of pity or sorrow for the suffering or distress of another.
  • commiserationThe act of commiserating; sorrow for the hardships or afflictions of another; pity; compassion.
  • compassion
  • empathy
  • fellow feelingA sense of sympathy for, consideration of, or shared interests with one or more other human beings.
  • mercyForgiveness or compassion, especially toward those less fortunate.
  • pityA feeling of sympathy at the misfortune or suffering of someone or something.
  • tenderheartednessThe characteristic of being tenderhearted.
  • loving-kindness
  • bowels archaicCompassion, sympathy.

verbTo repent of or regret (some past action or event); to wish that a past action or event had not...

verbTo cause to repent of sin or regret some past action.

verbTo cause to feel sorrow or pity.

  • dejectMake sad or dispirited.
  • depressTo make depressed, sad or bored.
  • aggrieveTo cause someone to feel pain or sorrow to; to afflict.
  • besorrowTo sorrow about or over; care about; fill with care or sorrow; make sad.
  • grieveTo cause sorrow or distress to.
  • pain
  • bring downTo make (someone) feel bad emotionally.
  • come down onTo cause melancholy in (someone).
  • darkenTo render gloomy, darker in mood.
  • dashTo dishearten; to sadden.
  • desolateTo make someone sad, forlorn and hopeless.
  • dispiritTo lower the morale of; to make despondent; to dishearten.
  • forset UK, dialectalTo upset; hinder.
  • get downTo depress; discourage; fatigue.
  • grievenTo make or become grievous or grief-stricken; to fill or be filled with grief.
  • oppressTo make sad or gloomy.
  • saddenTo become sad or unhappy.
  • sadden upTo become or make (something) sad.
  • ungladdenTo take the gladness from.
  • unhappyTo make or become unhappy; to sadden.
  • upsetTo make (a person) angry, distressed, or unhappy.
  • attrist archaicTo sadden; to make sad.
  • begloom archaicTo sadden.
  • begrieve archaicTo cause grief or grieving.
  • contristate obsoleteTo make sorrowful; to sadden or grieve.
  • engrieve archaicTo cause grief to, to vex or pain; to associate with vexation or pain.
  • moan obsoleteTo grieve.
  • tristitiate obsoleteTo sadden.

verbTo feel compassion or pity; to take pity (on), to have compassion (on).

  • commiserateTo feel or express compassion or sympathy for (someone or something).
  • compassionateTo feel compassion (for someone or with regard to something); to regard (someone or something) with compassion.
  • feel sorry forTo pity; to show pity for.
  • mercifyTo have mercy on; to pity.
  • feel someone's pain figurativelyTo sympathize with somebody.
  • take pityTo show compassion (towards).
  • condole obsoleteTo express deep sorrow; to grieve, to lament.

verbTo feel sorrow or regret.

  • gloomTo look or feel sad, sullen or despondent.
  • bleed
  • lamentTo express grief; to weep or wail; to mourn.
  • sighTo lament; to grieve.
  • erme obsoleteTo grieve; to feel sad.
  • wayment obsoleteTo lament.
  • yearn obsolete

Meaning of rue

  1. noun Sorrow; repentance; regret.
  2. noun Pity; compassion.
  3. verb To repent of or regret (some past action or event); to wish that a past action or event had not taken place.

Full definition of rue

rue in other languages

Questions about synonyms of rue

What is another word for rue?
Rue has 101 synonyms on Word.ws, such as repent, contrition, misery, unhappiness, blueness, tristesse, mirthless and blues.
What does rue mean?
Rue means sorrow; repentance; regret.

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: rue (page history and authors) and the entries of the words listed. Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws grouped the synonyms and antonyms by meaning and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Cite this page: “Synonyms of rue.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/synonyms/rue. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.