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
Marc Maron, who helmed his engaging and transgressive interview show WTF for 13 years, is a Jersey Boy who sounds plaintive and exhausted.
—
Literary Hub, 5 Feb. 2026
In the following days, as rumors began to spread of severe cuts, the paper’s reporters began posting messages directed at Bezos on X, with the plaintive hashtag #SaveThePost.
—Ruth Marcus, New Yorker, 4 Feb. 2026
Andersen issues a plaintive and impassioned plea for understanding and compassion about the plight and perilous circumstances of refugees.
—Randy Myers, Mercury News, 8 Jan. 2026
The electric version starts the same, but that plaintive wail sounds more like a call to mischief.
—Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 24 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for plaintive
Literary Hub, 5 Feb. 2026
In the following days, as rumors began to spread of severe cuts, the paper’s reporters began posting messages directed at Bezos on X, with the plaintive hashtag #SaveThePost.
—Ruth Marcus, New Yorker, 4 Feb. 2026
Andersen issues a plaintive and impassioned plea for understanding and compassion about the plight and perilous circumstances of refugees.
—Randy Myers, Mercury News, 8 Jan. 2026
The electric version starts the same, but that plaintive wail sounds more like a call to mischief.
—Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 24 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for plaintive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for plaintive
Adjective
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Over the years, humpback whale songs have been recorded for human listening, with many describing the songs as having a haunting, mournful quality.—
Patrick Whittle,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Mar. 2026
-
Humpback whales, which can weigh more than 55,000 pounds, are the ocean's most renowned singers, capable of complex vocalizations that can sound ethereal or even mournful.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
16 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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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
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The show manages to stay on the brink — always laughing, never quite weeping — for its entire length.—
Helen Shaw,
Vulture,
8 Dec. 2021
Adjective
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Borders’ widower, Ben Oliver, and sister, Angela Borders, organized a GoFundMe to help with funeral costs.—
Daniel Lempres,
Sacbee.com,
12 Mar. 2026
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Family members have set up an online fundraiser to help cover funeral expenses.—
Steve Large,
CBS News,
10 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Also up for sale is a 13-page affidavit filed by Paul McCartney in December 1970 to break up The Beatles, leaving fans heartbroken.—
Adam Reiss,
NBC news,
11 Mar. 2026
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An 83-year-old Air Force veteran pushed onto the subway tracks by a stranger at an Upper East Side station in a random act of violence is unlikely to survive, his heartbroken daughter told the Daily News Tuesday.—
Roni Jacobson,
New York Daily News,
10 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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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
Adjective
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Sacramento’s top public media institutions filed Monday a settlement agreement in their dueling lawsuits to determine the owner of a transmission tower, ending a bitter legal dispute.—
Ishani Desai,
Sacbee.com,
17 Mar. 2026
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Without proper attention, a carafe will take on a brown tinge, and limescale buildup will eventually reduce the machine's efficiency, leading to bitter-tasting coffee and other malfunctions.—
Louise Parks,
Martha Stewart,
16 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Plaintive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plaintive. Accessed 18 Mar. 2026.
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