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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
Leah Dolan, CNN Money, 25 June 2025
As for his singing, Simon still delivered in his distinct wistful voice that now sounded a bit more softer, which suited to the intimate presentation of the material.
—David Chiu, Forbes.com, 25 June 2025
Expanding Woody and Buzz’s universe without losing focus on the characters, laughs, or sentiment, this follow-up deepens the themes of the original while keeping a wistful eye on childhood’s end.
—Will Leitch, Vulture, 19 June 2025
Similarly, the lyrics can be varied—the best beach songs can be carefree, dancy, wistful, or just plain catchy.
—Janae McKenzie, Glamour, 14 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for wistful
Cite this Entry
“Wistful.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wistful. Accessed 8 Jul. 2025.
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