wistful

adjective

wist·​ful ˈwist-fəl How to pronounce wistful (audio)
1
: full of yearning or desire tinged with melancholy
also : inspiring such yearning
a wistful memoir
2
: musingly sad : pensive
a wistful glance
wistfully 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
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 film also becomes a wistful poem about life and aging, one that observes the injustice of old age with humor and kindness. Joan MacDonald, Forbes.com, 20 June 2025 Is that even enough time to start feeling wistful about it? David Sims, The Atlantic, 13 June 2025 Its music and words incorporated the wistful hopefulness that personified so much of Wilson’s art. Peter Larsen, Oc Register, 11 June 2025 The next look leaves the dungeon behind for a more wistful trip into some witchy woods. Chris Willman, Variety, 8 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for wistful

Word History

Etymology

blend of wishful and obsolete English wistly intently

First Known Use

1714, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of wistful was in 1714

Browse Nearby Words

Podcast

Cite this Entry

“Wistful.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wistful. Accessed 30 Jun. 2025.

Kids Definition

wistful

adjective
wist·​ful ˈwist-fəl How to pronounce wistful (audio)
: feeling or showing a timid desire
a wistful look on his face
wistfully adverb
wistfulness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on wistful

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!