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
The subject is pensive, expressionless and looking away from the camera.
—
Ray Mark Rinaldi, Denver Post, 27 Apr. 2026
But Giroux’s tone was much more pensive when speaking to the media on Monday.
—Julian McKenzie, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2026
The undercurrent of pensive sadness gives the movie an emotional depth that helps counter its relatively rote approach.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 21 Apr. 2026
After the lecture, the audience was visibly pensive.
—Manon Bischoff, Scientific American, 19 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for pensive
Ray Mark Rinaldi, Denver Post, 27 Apr. 2026
But Giroux’s tone was much more pensive when speaking to the media on Monday.
—Julian McKenzie, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2026
The undercurrent of pensive sadness gives the movie an emotional depth that helps counter its relatively rote approach.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 21 Apr. 2026
After the lecture, the audience was visibly pensive.
—Manon Bischoff, Scientific American, 19 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for pensive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pensive
Adjective
-
Lines that seem artlessly off-the-cuff on first pass accrue an unexpected weight and purpose the fourth time through; the countrified guitar lick that sounds so chipper at the start of a song is dripping with melancholy by the end.—
Stuart Berman,
Pitchfork,
4 June 2026
-
Louis’s memories form an immersive, spellbinding confession of betrayal, murder, and melancholy with palpable sensuality.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
2 June 2026
Adjective
-
There was an eight-pillow menu to choose from, which was a thoughtful touch.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
1 June 2026
-
The in-room bar offered a thoughtful curation of Turkish snacks and treats, such as potato chips made from tubers grown in the surrounding Nevşehir region and a chocolate bar handmade by an Istanbul chocolatier.—
Anya von Bremzen,
Travel + Leisure,
31 May 2026
Adjective
-
Designed by a team that includes Burns & McDonnell, Zahner, an architectural metal fabricator, and KEM Studio, the pavilion features a reflective metal canopy inspired by the reflection and flow of the Missouri River.—
Eric Adler,
Kansas City Star,
30 May 2026
-
This inward, reflective energy will be around longer than usual as Mercury slows to a station retrograde in Cancer on June 29, extending its stay there all the way into early August.—
Kirah Tabourn,
Condé Nast Traveler,
28 May 2026
Adjective
-
Evan Williams Bottled-in-Bond and Heaven Hill 7-Year show how far a simple 78/10/12 mash bill can go, from a workhorse mixer to a contemplative sipper.—
Joseph V Micallef,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2026
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Meditation on the River For the watchmaking executive, there’s a profoundly contemplative aspect to fly fishing, amounting to his own form of mindfulness in waders.—
Lily Templeton,
Footwear News,
23 May 2026
Adjective
-
There’s a somber scene in a new documentary about Patrick Kelly, where executive producers Jess Manning and Ray Cornelius are at the New York Public Library’s Schomburg Center, about to dive into research about the late fashion designer.—
Bianca Betancourt,
CNN Money,
2 June 2026
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But after seven episodes wearing down the viewer with a bleak perspective, in the season finale, Euphoria pulls itself out of its own somber patterns to reach for grace and mercy in Christian symbolism, American wholesomeness, and the concept of family.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
1 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pensive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pensive. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
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