wistful

adjective

wist·​ful ˈwist-fəl 

1

: full of yearning or desire tinged with melancholy

also : inspiring such yearning

a wistful memoir

2

: musingly sad : pensive

a wistful glance

wistfully

ˈwist-fə-lē 

adverb

wistfulness noun

Did you know?

Wistful Has a Wishful History

We see you there, dear reader, gazing silently up at the moon, heart aching to know the history of wistful, as if it could be divined on the lunar surface. And we’d like to ease your melancholy by telling you that the knowledge you seek—nay, pine for—is closer at hand. But the etymology of wistful, while intriguing, is not entirely clear. It’s thought that the word is a combination of wistly, a now-obsolete word meaning “intently” and, perhaps, the similar-sounding wishful. Wistly, in turn, may have come from whistly, an old term meaning “silently” or “quietly.” What’s more certain is that our modern wistful is a great word to describe someone full of pensive yearning, or something inspiring such yearning.

Examples of wistful in a Sentence

She was wistful for a moment, then asked, “Do you remember the old playground?”.

He had a wistful look on his face.

Recent Examples on the Web

But there’s also something wistful about it, as if its characters had glimpsed a possibility of freedom, unity, and happiness that, nearly 100 years later, is still out of reach. —Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 18 Apr. 2025

Talent cannot thrive at Manchester United Manchester United still looks at its past with wistful eyes. —Harry De Cosemo, Forbes.com, 14 Apr. 2025

The rapper’s latest includes wistful trap anthems ruminating on his trials and tribulations, as well as menacing drill tracks and more melodic songs tapping into his romantic side to cater to his female fan base — all of which were run by Durk’s legal team before heading to streaming services. —Michael Saponara, Billboard, 28 Mar. 2025

Netflix released the first look of the movie last November — a still of a wistful yet determined-looking Keoghan driving a truck toward a brick building. —Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 10 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

blend of wishful and obsolete English wistly intently

First Known Use

1714, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for wistful

• fistful

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Kids Definition

wistful

adjective

wist·​ful ˈwist-fəl 

: feeling or showing a timid desire

a wistful look on his face

wistfully

-fə-lē 

adverb

wistfulness noun