PLAINTIVE Synonyms: 120 Similar and Opposite Words

plaintive

adjective

ˈplān-tiv

Definition of plaintive

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

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

Adjective

Tender Loving Care is a gentle, mournful, funny portrait of a family whose future is shadowed by uncertainty but tries to face life with cheeriness.

— Joe Reid, Vulture, 10 Sep. 2026
Part of it was the circumstances of his death and the mournful public procession through Brooklyn.

— Jeff Weiss, HollywoodReporter, 1 Sep. 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

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
According to the organizer of a fundraiser set up to cover funeral costs and medical expenses, the girl's aunt suffered a broken neck, skull fracture, and dislocated discs.

— Joan Murray, CBS News, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of funeral

Adjective

Introduced in a state of drunken collapse, Anderson — fearful, bitter, despairing, protective — is quite magnificent limning different levels of intoxication.

— Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 20 Sep. 2026
With a conference showdown and bitter rivalry looming next week against Geneva, Batavia decided to open Friday night’s game with some fireworks.

— Mike McGraw, Chicago Tribune, 19 Sep. 2026

Definition of bitter

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plaintive

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“Plaintive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plaintive. Accessed 22 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of plaintive

adjective

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