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pensive

adjective

ˈpen(t)-siv How to pronounce pensive (audio)
Definition of pensivenext
as in melancholy
given to or marked by long, quiet thinking rainy days often put her in a pensive mood

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of pensive Or the pensive Thomas Jefferson standing in the dome across the way? — Matt Viser, The Atlantic, 2 Aug. 2026 The pensive, prettier songs do not always play to his strengths. — Jazz Monroe, Pitchfork, 30 July 2026 John Malkovich looks pensive ahead of his guest appearance in Report on the Blind at the Royal Swedish Opera in Stockholm, Sweden on June 22. — Brendan Le, PEOPLE, 25 June 2026 For Waititi, the film has lots of comedic parts while retaining the pensive beauty of the original text. — Rebecca Ford, Vanity Fair, 18 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for pensive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pensive
  1. melancholy
  2. thoughtful
  3. reflective
  4. contemplative
  5. somber
Adjective
  • And viewers’ mileage will certainly vary with this peculiar, fun little concoction on seclusion, connection and the need to belong that can’t hide its undercurrent of melancholy about the sorry state of a divided world.
    — Tomris Laffly, Variety, 7 Sep. 2026
  • Roderick In Poe’s famous short story The Fall of the House of Usher, Roderick Usher is a melancholy recluse who believes his haunted mansion is the cause of his deteriorating health.
    — Anna Earl, Parents, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of melancholy
Adjective
  • The anxieties surrounding data privacy, algorithmic bias and the fundamental shift in how students learn are valid and require serious, thoughtful attention.
    — Erin Mote, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2026
  • Someone who reminds a likely very jaded and fickle crowd of editors, buyers, and industry observers that fashion can still be thoughtful, genuine, and most importantly, fun.
    — Bianca Betancourt, CNN Money, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of thoughtful
Adjective
  • Anti-reflective coatings can also be incorporated where required.
    — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 17 Sep. 2026
  • Leaders must mediate the conversation and create an environment of true collaboration that allows for active discussion, where people are allowed to disagree in order to develop an answer based on that and reflective of the conversation.
    — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of reflective
Adjective
  • We are asked constantly to dilate and contract—to adjust from contemplative darkness to the California sun, from specific detail to overarching conceit, from stillness to activity.
    — Katy Barkan, Artforum, 1 Sep. 2026
  • In a voice at once biting and contemplative, eerie and funny, Kasischke crafts poems in which nothing is ever stable or resolved.
    — The New Yorker, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of contemplative
Adjective
  • The actor-director continued on a more somber note, driving home the importance of free speech.
    — Jack Smart, PEOPLE, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Davis was much more somber, and his attorney, Wayne Higgins, is heard frequently admonishing his client for volunteering unnecessary information.
    — Taylor Romine, CNN Money, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of somber

Browse Nearby Words

pensions
pensive
penstock
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Cite this Entry

“Pensive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pensive. Accessed 17 Sep. 2026.

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