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
  • Eleazar forgoes Thom Yorke-style belting, draws out the mournful quaver in the lyrics, and subtly reshapes the anthem in Misty’s image, her commitment to doing things her way.
    — Justin Chang, New Yorker, 10 Oct. 2026
  • But the production here betrays its economy, and the direction, by Garth Davis and Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre, remains earthbound, held down by mournful strings and devoid of color.
    — Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 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
  • The GoFundMe, which was started to cover funeral costs, counseling and other support for the family, has raised a little over $23,000.
    — Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 2 Oct. 2026
  • To Diana, who has taken over First Desk at the Park after last season’s events, River’s refusal to take bereavement leave gives her license to speak about his grandfather’s funeral arrangements with her usual cool formality.
    — Scott Tobias, Vulture, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of funeral
Adjective
  • Placer County District Attorney Morgan Gire honored Macy at a county Board of Supervisors meeting Wednesday, telling community leaders that her death had left his office and the wider community heartbroken.
    — Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 23 Sep. 2026
  • Daria’s heartbroken family declined to comment on her death Saturday.
    — Rebecca White, New York Daily News, 19 Sep. 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
  • The second episode will examine her interventions on Scottish independence, feminism, free speech, and gender identity, which place her at the heart of increasingly bitter online exchanges.
    — Jake Kanter, Deadline, 13 Oct. 2026
  • The incident inspired multiple memorial meme coins, forensic scrutiny of video footage, and bitter anti-Waymo sentiment.
    — Molly Fischer, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 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 13 Oct. 2026.

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