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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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
-
Such memories flowed freely this week on social media and in mournful first-person essays.—
Dan Adler,
Vanity Fair,
6 Feb. 2026
-
Newsom shakes his head, seeming more mournful than angry.—
Maya Singer,
Vogue,
1 Feb. 2026
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
-
When Goodspeed failed to repay her, she was forced to take out loans and use credit cards to cover funeral expenses after her relative died.—
Doug Myers,
CBS News,
25 Feb. 2026
-
An imam was hauled up from his small room adjacent to his small mosque and ordered to get ready to lead the funeral prayers of a very important man.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
20 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
His family and friends are utterly heartbroken.—
Mike Hellgren,
CBS News,
4 Mar. 2026
-
Like Sebek, Lincoln-Way co-op senior Zoe Dempsey was heartbroken not to win state in her final attempt.—
Steve Millar,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Mar. 2026
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
Adjective
-
During that window, sour and bitter foods can taste sweet, making meals more tolerable.—
Ivan Taylor,
CBS News,
2 Mar. 2026
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The concept was revived by Olympic officials and the United Nations in the early 1990s, as bitter conflicts raged in the Balkans.—
Brian Mann,
NPR,
1 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Plaintive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plaintive. Accessed 6 Mar. 2026.
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