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
The movie whose theme song was a minimalist, plaintive DUH-DUN ended up striking a major chord with its cinematic production design.
—
Michael Martin, Architectural Digest, 23 June 2025
Crickets and frogs and the plaintive call of the poorwill can also add intrigue to the darkness.
—Ernie Cowan, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 June 2025
Hayakawa is a plaintive storyteller who refuses to indulge in emotional cheats of any kind, and would rather a scene be impenetrably oblique than overexplain its purpose.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 19 May 2025
His voice is very high and plaintive.
—Katie Bain, Billboard, 3 Sep. 2019
See All Example Sentences for plaintive
Michael Martin, Architectural Digest, 23 June 2025
Crickets and frogs and the plaintive call of the poorwill can also add intrigue to the darkness.
—Ernie Cowan, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 June 2025
Hayakawa is a plaintive storyteller who refuses to indulge in emotional cheats of any kind, and would rather a scene be impenetrably oblique than overexplain its purpose.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 19 May 2025
His voice is very high and plaintive.
—Katie Bain, Billboard, 3 Sep. 2019
See All Example Sentences for plaintive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for plaintive
Adjective
-
The atmosphere at Charlie Kirk's memorial in Glendale, Arizona, is anything but mournful.—
Amanda Castro
Mandy Taheri
Peter Aitken,
MSNBC Newsweek,
21 Sep. 2025
-
So mournful the distant owl in Black Brooks.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
19 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
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
-
The show manages to stay on the brink — always laughing, never quite weeping — for its entire length.—
Helen Shaw,
Vulture,
8 Dec. 2021
Adjective
-
No funeral arrangements were immediately available.—
Brad Schmitt,
Nashville Tennessean,
23 Sep. 2025
-
Kirk’s family has not said whether he will be honored at a funeral service separate from the public memorial.—
Stephanie Murray,
AZCentral.com,
18 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
This isn't the first time the internet has been left heartbroken when a dog didn't want to play.—
Alice Gibbs,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Sep. 2025
-
My newlywed wife was heartbroken.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
23 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Remove a thin piece of peel from a lemon (for rye) or orange (for bourbon), getting as little of the bitter white pith as possible; hold the peel between your fingers with the outside facing the top of the drink and pinch slightly to express the citrus oils over the top.—
Jeremy Repanich,
Robb Report,
27 Sep. 2025
-
The story of the bitter conflict ripping Loving County apart is inseparable from its history, one of hardship, survival, and ties to an unforgiving place that are born deep inside a person’s bones like marrow.—
Mitch Moxley,
Rolling Stone,
27 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Plaintive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plaintive. Accessed 1 Oct. 2025.
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