as in mournful
expressing or suggesting mourning
the puppy's plaintive expression after we put the toy away was rather amusing
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Recent Examples of plaintive
This latest album is plaintive, with tracks about remembering historical tragedies and overcoming hard times.
—
Kate Lopresti, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025
The plaintive strains of country music made for a fitting companion.
—Mark Leibovich, The Atlantic, 31 Mar. 2025
On the new Foxes in the Snow, a solo album that benches his longtime backing band the 400 Unit in favor of just his plaintive voice and Martin acoustic guitar, Isbell seems to realize that not every song needs to be an opus.
—Joseph Hudak, Rolling Stone, 3 Mar. 2025
The scenes that follow — accompanied by the plaintive strings of composer Suad Bushnaq’s soulful orchestral score — are genuinely awe-inspiring.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 25 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for plaintive
Kate Lopresti, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025
The plaintive strains of country music made for a fitting companion.
—Mark Leibovich, The Atlantic, 31 Mar. 2025
On the new Foxes in the Snow, a solo album that benches his longtime backing band the 400 Unit in favor of just his plaintive voice and Martin acoustic guitar, Isbell seems to realize that not every song needs to be an opus.
—Joseph Hudak, Rolling Stone, 3 Mar. 2025
The scenes that follow — accompanied by the plaintive strings of composer Suad Bushnaq’s soulful orchestral score — are genuinely awe-inspiring.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 25 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for plaintive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for plaintive
Adjective
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That consistency was perhaps why, despite the Warriors’ stunning Game 1 win, the tone of their postgame interviews was at times mournful rather than celebratory.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
7 May 2025
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One aspect is the story that is told, which is a very mournful story of a mother losing a child and then abandoning herself to the river as the child was.—
Nick Romano,
EW.com,
6 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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And every day, across from them, outside the clinic, about to enter or just leaving, there were women hugging each other and weeping.—
David Mamet,
National Review,
11 Aug. 2022
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The show manages to stay on the brink — always laughing, never quite weeping — for its entire length.—
Helen Shaw,
Vulture,
8 Dec. 2021
Adjective
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The obituary adds that a visitation service is set for Tuesday, April 29, and a funeral mass is set for Wednesday, April 30.—
Charlotte Phillipp,
People.com,
29 Apr. 2025
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He was laid to rest on Saturday at the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore in a simple tomb as requested by the late pontiff, following a funeral Mass on the steps of the St. Peter’s Basilica that drew heads of state, royalty and hundreds of thousands of mourners.—
Christopher Lamb,
CNN Money,
28 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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The recent tragic helicopter crash into the Hudson River, which claimed six lives, has left our city heartbroken and once again grappling with difficult questions about public safety and aviation policy.—
Keith Powers,
New York Daily News,
29 Apr. 2025
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The heartbroken couple spent days looking for Valerie but eventually had to return to their lives in Broken Hill, New South Wales.—
Sarah Kuta,
Smithsonian Magazine,
28 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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The harmony of flavors—including sweet tomatoes and cider, bitter radishes, spicy greens, umami Parmesan, and salty finishing flakes—kept me going back for bite after bite.—
Karla Walsh,
Better Homes & Gardens,
10 May 2025
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These final years are sometimes treated as a lost period, because Twain’s writing grew bitter and cynical and unpalatable to those more interested in pleasing escapades.—
Graeme Wood,
The Atlantic,
9 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Plaintive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plaintive. Accessed 14 May. 2025.
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