pensive
adjective
pen·sive
ˈpen(t)-siv 
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
Herman Wouk
pensively
adverb
pensiveness
noun
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
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 show ran for two seasons. 07 of 18
Sean Penn and Hopper Penn
Sean Penn and Robin Wright's son, Hopper — pictured here with sister Dylan — shares his father's pensive stare and has opened up about his no-nonsense parenting style while growing up.
—Lydia Price, People.com, 11 June 2025
His subtle direction also basks in critical moments of silence: a smoke break outside the classroom, the frustrated focus during an exam, and the pensive, haunting opening and closing image of Marjan looking out through semi-transparent curtains.
—Christian Lewis, Variety, 24 Jan. 2025
Scenes of long discussions seem brisk, even at pensive tempi, because of the way that the lines uttered strike off one another—and because of the energetically thoughtful performances that bring the characters to life.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 20 June 2025
In such an intimate, pensive atmosphere, characters emerge gradually out of the rugged landscape like windswept trees or weathered stones.
—Tim Grierson, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for pensive
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Lydia Price, People.com, 11 June 2025
His subtle direction also basks in critical moments of silence: a smoke break outside the classroom, the frustrated focus during an exam, and the pensive, haunting opening and closing image of Marjan looking out through semi-transparent curtains.
—Christian Lewis, Variety, 24 Jan. 2025
Scenes of long discussions seem brisk, even at pensive tempi, because of the way that the lines uttered strike off one another—and because of the energetically thoughtful performances that bring the characters to life.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 20 June 2025
In such an intimate, pensive atmosphere, characters emerge gradually out of the rugged landscape like windswept trees or weathered stones.
—Tim Grierson, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for pensive
Cite this Entry
“Pensive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pensive. Accessed 7 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
pensive
adjective
pen·sive
ˈpen(t)-siv
1
: dreamily thoughtful
2
: suggestive of sad thoughtfulness
pensively
adverb
pensiveness
noun
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