pensive

adjective

pen·​sive ˈpen(t)-siv How to pronounce pensive (audio)
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 paintingHerman 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
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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

Word History

Etymology

Middle English pensif, from Anglo-French, from penser to think, from Latin pensare to ponder, frequentative of pendere to weigh — more at pendant

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of pensive was in the 14th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Pensive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pensive. Accessed 7 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

pensive

adjective
pen·​sive ˈpen(t)-siv How to pronounce pensive (audio)
1
: dreamily thoughtful
2
: suggestive of sad thoughtfulness
pensively adverb
pensiveness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on pensive

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