Rewful

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Arousing pity or sorrow, or full of compassion and regret, in an old-fashioned or archaic way
2. Describing something sad and piteous that moves a person to sorrow, or a person who feels such grief
3. Filled with or inspiring sorrow and pity, in a lamentable and mournful manner

Etymology: "Rewful" is a plain formation: the noun "rew," an older spelling of "rue" in its sense of pity or compassion, plus the suffix "-ful," meaning "full of." Something rewful is full of pity, the way "pitiful" can mean either deserving pity or inspiring it. The root goes back to Old English "hrēow," which carried the sense of sorrow, distress, and remorse. Over time "rue" split into two strands that English keeps apart in modern use. One moved toward regret, giving the common adjective "rueful." The other, the older sense of compassion, survives mainly in the word "ruth" and in "ruthless," the lack of it. "Rewful" belongs to the compassion strand, and it is now rare enough that most readers will meet it only in older texts.

Synonyms: rueful, sorrowful, regretful

Antonyms: joyful, cheerful