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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of plaintive
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
This pageant of puppetry includes a flutter of butterflies, a goat with a plaintive bleat, a menagerie of wild animals and, at one point, a school of glowing fish.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 9 May 2025
One longtime sufferer unleashes the gift of gab Fragrance
Royal Flush
An evocative scent created for the Duke of Windsor carries a note of plaintive decadence today
The Look From Here
The New Power Suit
How could one tiny piece of fabric be such a source of anxiety?
—Tuppence Middleton, Air Mail, 8 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for plaintive
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
This pageant of puppetry includes a flutter of butterflies, a goat with a plaintive bleat, a menagerie of wild animals and, at one point, a school of glowing fish.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 9 May 2025
One longtime sufferer unleashes the gift of gab Fragrance
Royal Flush
An evocative scent created for the Duke of Windsor carries a note of plaintive decadence today
The Look From Here
The New Power Suit
How could one tiny piece of fabric be such a source of anxiety?
—Tuppence Middleton, Air Mail, 8 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for plaintive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for plaintive
Adjective
-
Similarly, the discreetly mournful compositions of Giorgio Matteo and Aki Oliviero’s score hover politely on the periphery of the (in)action, careful not to intrude.—
Jessica Kiang,
Variety,
4 Sep. 2025
-
His narration is a constant pleasure — mournful, wry, and suffused with a world-weary poetry.—
Leila Latif,
IndieWire,
31 Aug. 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
-
Following the boy’s death, donors raised about $30,000 in a GoFundMe campaign launched to help with funeral expenses.—
Christy Gutowski,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Sep. 2025
-
Both Ahmed and Karia spoke of family members having seen ghosts at funeral ceremonies, which made sense of the visitations Hamlet’s father makes after death.—
Baz Bamigboye,
Deadline,
29 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Hill’s 21-year-old son told WXYZ that his whole family is heartbroken.—
Jennifer Rodriguez,
Kansas City Star,
4 Sep. 2025
-
Over the past half-decade, the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival has been called off three times, leaving behind unrealized lineups, swampy farmlands, and heartbroken fans.—
Audrey Gibbs,
The Tennessean,
3 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Creative differences led to a bitter falling out between Davies and Hodgson, who left the band in 1983.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
8 Sep. 2025
-
But to have the season’s only returning houseguest exit on a twist like this, and not even from gameplay, social standing or an eviction vote leaves a bitter taste in my mouth, to say the least.—
Nick Caruso,
TVLine,
6 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Plaintive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plaintive. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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