plaintive

adjective

ˈplān-tiv How to pronounce plaintive (audio)
Definition of plaintivenext
as in mournful
expressing or suggesting mourning the puppy's plaintive expression after we put the toy away was rather amusing

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 plaintive Park’s plaintive gamer-vampire is witty, too. — Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 16 June 2026 The plaintive melodies are mournful yet comforting. — Michelle F. Solomon, Miami Herald, 12 May 2026 The record includes generic corn too, which even Langley’s plaintive voice can’t save. — The Week Us, TheWeek, 21 Apr. 2026 The steady, unwavering empathy of her gaze encompasses a universe of tiny, interlaced incidents in which the zany entwines the plaintive, or the tragic the comic. — Literary Hub, 19 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for plaintive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for plaintive
  1. mournful
  2. weeping
  3. funeral
  4. heartbroken
  5. wailing
  6. bitter
Adjective
  • Since his siblings were crying with the same mournful expression, clinging to their father’s corpse, Shoichiro willed himself to cry too, and the tears came immediately.
    — Cynthia Zarin, Harpers Magazine, 4 Aug. 2026
  • But there’s something mournful, something searching about his statement, too.
    — Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 24 July 2026
Definition of mournful
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
Definition of weeping
Adjective
  • Another loved one, Kelsi Yun, has organized a GoFundMe page to help cover funeral costs and support Reagan’s surviving family.
    — Sam Gillette, PEOPLE, 18 Aug. 2026
  • There is a funeral procession in the morning and a wedding in the afternoon.
    — Terry Gross, NPR, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of funeral
Adjective
  • The mysterious death of a missing New York City grandmother whose body was found in a drainage ditch outside a Las Vegas airport has left her family with more questions than answers, heartbroken relatives said Saturday.
    — Rebecca White, New York Daily News, 22 Aug. 2026
  • Shuter also revealed that Ragland is heartbroken at the thought of her daughter being so far away.
    — Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of heartbroken
Adjective
  • Sitting opposite an old people’s home in a residential corner of Paris’ 14th arrondissement, La Santé’s unassuming presence is only given away by the occasional wailing siren as prisoners are transported to and from the site.
    — Joseph Ataman, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 2025
Definition of wailing
Adjective
  • Moscow hopes to sap Ukraine’s will to fight by denying civilians light, heating and running water during the bitter winter months.
    — Hanna Arhirova, Los Angeles Times, 17 Aug. 2026
  • If his mayoral administration continues to elevate emotions over facts, New York is in for a bitter four years.
    — Daniel Kolkey, Oc Register, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of bitter

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plaintive
plaintively
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Cite this Entry

“Plaintive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plaintive. Accessed 25 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on plaintive

Nglish: Translation of plaintive for Spanish Speakers

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