Meaning & use
rue
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Meanings
verbtransitiveliterary
To feel deep regret or sorrow about something you did or that happened, and wish it had been different.
Grammar: Takes an object: rue the day, rue a decision.
Patterns
- rue something
- rue the day (that) something happened
- live to rue something
He would rue the day he signed that contract.
She still rues her decision to leave school.
You will rue those careless words.
noununcountablearchaic
A feeling of sorrow or regret.
Grammar: Archaic noun, mostly found in older writing or the phrase to your rue.
Patterns
- to someone's rue
She spoke with rue about the lost chance.
To his rue, the offer expired that morning.
nouncountable or uncountablebiology
A strong-smelling evergreen plant with bitter leaves, once used in herbal medicine.
Grammar: Countable for plants, uncountable for the herb.
Patterns
- a sprig of rue
An old garden often had a bush of rue near the path.
The herbalist crushed a sprig of rue to release its scent.
Word forms
| third person singular | rues |
|---|---|
| past tense | rued |
| past participle | rued |
| -ing form | rueing |
Common combinations
- rue the day
- He would rue the day he lied to her.
- live to rue
- You may live to rue that choice.
- rue a decision
- The manager rued his decision to sell the star player.
- rue the loss
- Fans rued the loss of a great opportunity.
- bitterly rue
- She bitterly rued her hasty words.
Synonyms and how they differ
- regret
- Regret is the everyday word and can be mild, while rue is more literary and suggests deep, lasting sorrow.
- lament
- Lament means to express grief aloud, whereas rue emphasizes private regret over your own choices.
- repent
- Repent adds the idea of feeling guilty and wanting to change, while rue need not include any change.
- bemoan
- Bemoan means to complain about something unfortunate, often not your own fault, whereas rue is about something you might have prevented.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: rue or rule? rue or rude?
rue vs rule
Rule is a regulation or the act of governing, while rue is to regret. They sound alike only in part.
rue vs rude
Rude means impolite, a different word with a different final sound.
Practice
If you break your promise, you may live to ___ it.
Choose one answer.
Live to rue is the set phrase meaning later regret. Rule, ruin and rub look similar but do not fit this idiom.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “rue”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.