rue the day
Wish otherwise later
To rue the day is to bitterly regret something, with *the day* pointing to the moment a fateful decision was made or an action taken.
The phrase carries a dramatic, almost theatrical quality, often appearing as a warning or threat: You'll rue the day you crossed me.
It suggests not just regret but ongoing suffering from past choices.
- repentanceRemorseful rejection of past wrongs
- lamentMournful expression of grief
- live to regretExperience future remorse
- mark my wordsEmphatic prediction phrase
- sorrowDeep emotional distress
words of warning · regret · remorse · bitter pill · contrition · apology · pay the price · fateful · bitterness · self-reproach · hindsight · comeuppance · just deserts · atone · consequence · grieve · kick oneself · eat humble pie
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