Meaning & use
ruer
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountableliteraryrare
A person who feels deep sadness or regret about something they have done or lost.
Grammar: Countable; used mainly in literary or formal writing, not in everyday speech.
Patterns
- a ruer of something
- a ruer for something
In the poem, the old soldier is a ruer of his lost youth.
She was a quiet ruer, never speaking of the chances she had missed.
The novel's hero is a ruer of a single foolish decision.
nouncountableliteraryrare
A person who feels sorry about a choice or action and wishes they could change it.
Grammar: Countable; often followed by 'of' or 'for' to name the cause of regret.
Patterns
- a ruer of something
- a ruer for something
He was a ruer of the day he left home.
The letter describes her as a ruer for the life she gave up.
Word forms
| plural | ruers |
|---|
Common combinations
- a ruer of lost chances
- The memoir paints him as a ruer of lost chances.
- a ruer for the past
- She became a ruer for the past, always looking back.
- a quiet ruer
- He was a quiet ruer, keeping his sorrow to himself.
Synonyms and how they differ
- regretter
- Very rare and slightly more active; 'ruer' sounds more literary and sorrowful.
- penitent
- This is a formal word for someone who is sorry for doing wrong, often in a religious context, while 'ruer' is broader and more literary.
Word family
Commonly confused: ruer or ruer?
ruer vs ruer
Not to be confused with 'ruer' as a misspelling of 'ruer'—it is a real but rare word.
Practice
In the poem, the old man is described as a ruer of his lost youth. What does 'ruer' mean?
Choose one answer.
The context of lost youth and the literary tone point to deep regret. 'Ruler' and 'ruiner' are different words, and 'repairer' is not related.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “ruer”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.