as in melancholy
given to or marked by long, quiet thinking
rainy days often put her in a pensive mood
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of pensive
In such an intimate, pensive atmosphere, characters emerge gradually out of the rugged landscape like windswept trees or weathered stones.
—
Tim Grierson, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2025
Please submit your answers via old-timey telegraphs — and an expansion of his thematic preoccupations, The Phoenician Scheme finds our man Wes in a somewhat pensive mood.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 28 May 2025
Anderson proves worthy of some knockout emotional moments, Jamie Lee Curtis shines as a feisty cocktail waitress, and Dave Bautista steals scenes as the show's pensive stage manager.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 24 May 2025
For a few seconds, save for a piano playing a few pensive notes, there was silence.
—Edwin Goei, Los Angeles Times, 16 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for pensive
Tim Grierson, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2025
Please submit your answers via old-timey telegraphs — and an expansion of his thematic preoccupations, The Phoenician Scheme finds our man Wes in a somewhat pensive mood.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 28 May 2025
Anderson proves worthy of some knockout emotional moments, Jamie Lee Curtis shines as a feisty cocktail waitress, and Dave Bautista steals scenes as the show's pensive stage manager.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 24 May 2025
For a few seconds, save for a piano playing a few pensive notes, there was silence.
—Edwin Goei, Los Angeles Times, 16 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for pensive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pensive
Adjective
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Filmed in snowy Vancouver and set to some of the most melancholy songs Leonard Cohen ever recorded, the film lets a sense of fatalism hang over even its lightest moments.—
Keith Phipps,
Vulture,
18 July 2025
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It’s hushed, melancholy and rending in all the best ways.—
John Wenzel,
Denver Post,
16 July 2025
Adjective
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Firing off hundreds of identical applications and CVs is unlikely to land you that dream role, so every application needs a thoughtful approach.—
Bernard Marr,
Forbes.com,
29 July 2025
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Before this drastic step, there should have been research on what the realities are on car ownership rates throughout the city and surveys — an inventory — of available street parking in each community, followed by thoughtful planning, followed by thorough community feedback.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
28 July 2025
Adjective
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Police said Cruz-Sanchez was wearing a reflective safety vest at the time and was throwing trash into the trailer, which featured flashing lights and an arrow indicator.—
Craig Shoup,
Nashville Tennessean,
30 July 2025
-
Elevated, sure, and reflective of a market pricing in plenty of positives.—
Michael Santoli,
CNBC,
26 July 2025
Adjective
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Leonardo da Vinci was a contemplative genius, reportedly staring at The Last Supper for hours before adding a single brushstroke and walking away.—
Joseph Jebelli,
CNBC,
23 July 2025
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The result is a rich, contemplative expression of Bourbon County—one that rewards patience and reflects a legacy built slowly, barrel-by-barrel.—
Emily Price,
Forbes.com,
22 July 2025
Adjective
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In Phnom Penh, Cambodia’s energetic capital, golden spires of the Royal Palace gleam above the river, while visits to the Killing Fields reveal the city’s somber history.—
Lewis Nunn,
Forbes.com,
24 July 2025
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The convention, originally planned as a celebratory coronation, transformed into a tense, somber, and ultimately pivotal gathering.—
Theo Burman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pensive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pensive. Accessed 3 Aug. 2025.
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