pensive

adjective

pen·sive | \ ˈpen(t)-siv

Definition of pensive

1 : musingly or dreamily thoughtful a pensive young poet

2 : suggestive of sad thoughtfulness her face had the pensive mournfulness of a seraph in an old sad painting— Herman Wouk

Other Words from pensive Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about pensive

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Examples of pensive in a Sentence

… the combination of national crisis and imminent electoral victory creates an atmosphere at once pensive and elated. — Yossi Klein Halevi, New Republic, 25 Dec. 2000 We take in the synchronized swimming of sardines and the pensive patrol of a leopard shark. — Roger Rosenblatt, Time, 5 Oct. 1998 … did not seem depressed so much as pensive, and within a few minutes he was talking eagerly—in fact, unstoppably—about his favorite subject: school. — James Traub, New Yorker, 19 Dec. 1994 The child sat by himself, looking pensive. rainy days often put her in a pensive mood

Recent Examples on the Web

The pensive, seductive lyrics have some keen listeners speculating whether the track is about Abel's girlfriend Bella Hadid and perhaps even Drake. — Nicole Saunders, Harper's BAZAAR, "Fans Think The Weeknd Sings About Bella Hadid (and Disses Drake) on New Song "Lost in the Fire"," 11 Jan. 2019 In the exhibition’s film, the camera pans the faces of the girls circling Hawkesworth in the Mombasa schoolyard—some pensive, some smiling. — Sara Morosi, WSJ, "Jamie Hawkesworth’s New Show Embraces Chance," 30 Nov. 2018 There's present-opening, food-eating, and even a few pensive, thoughtful shots of the family. — Katherine J. Igoe, Marie Claire, "For Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez, Christmas Was All About Matching PJs and Holiday Dancing," 26 Dec. 2018 Her parts were quiet, often pensive characters that served as foils or companions of major characters. — Alexandra Wolfe, WSJ, "Rose Byrne Sharpens Her Comedy Skills," 3 Aug. 2018 The Instagram photo is a profile shot of Malone in a black jacket, looking kind of pensive and sad while staring at the ground. — Chloe Metzger, Marie Claire, "Post Malone Cut Off All of His Hair and Looks Unrecognizable," 9 Oct. 2018 While Paradise wasn't always easy for Cooper, a 29-year-old fitness model/social media manager, and Kimball, a 26-year-old pensive gentleman, the two are happy their journey was documented. — Jessica Radloff, Glamour, "Here's What Is Next for Bachelor in Paradise's Newly Engaged Jenna Cooper and Jordan Kimball," 11 Sep. 2018 This post has been updated to include a picture of Ivanka Trump looking pensive. — Madeleine Aggeler, The Cut, "Ivanka Trump Told Her ‘Daddy’ That Images of Detained Children Look Bad," 20 June 2018 Spider-Man’s pensive moments — when Peter agonized over sacrifices his alter ego had demanded of him, for example — echoed the psychological struggles in Mr. Ditko’s earlier horror comics. — Andy Webster, New York Times, "Steve Ditko, Influential Comic-Book Artist Who Helped Create Spider-Man, Dies at 90," 7 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'pensive.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.