plaintively

adverb

as in bitterly
with feelings of bitterness or grief the man sighed plaintively as it became clear that he was getting nowhere with the officious bureaucrat

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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 plaintively The evening tolling of the bell at the Hōshō-ji temple echoed plaintively. — Literary Hub, 28 May 2026 The video of Hodges crying out plaintively is the antithesis of how a cop wants to be seen. — Jamie Thompson, The Atlantic, 6 Jan. 2026 As if to emphasize Marlo's point, an immature bald eagle called plaintively from the top of a nearby tree. — Crai S. Bower, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 Apr. 2023 Mia plaintively asks Philip at one particularly vulnerable moment. — Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for plaintively
  1. bitterly
  2. sorrowfully
  3. sadly
  4. mournfully
Adverb
  • District 4 The District 4 race between Sharry Kimmel, of Parkland, and Nicole Morst, of Coral Springs, has turned into one of the most bitterly contested, with both candidates questioning the honesty of their opponent.
    — Scott Travis, Sun Sentinel, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Many clergy bitterly opposed the handover of the villages and criticized Pashinyan, who came to power in the South Caucasus nation amid a wave of hopeful, pro-democracy protests that swept Armenia in 2018.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of bitterly
Adverb
  • Tarun would tease her, and my mother would look sorrowfully toward Kavitha, as if the two of them now shared some womanly burden.
    — Madhuri Vijay, New Yorker, 16 Nov. 2025
Definition of sorrowfully
Adverb
  • Curry is largely there for comic relief, swanning in with a bevy of beauties, challenging Bosley (Bill Murray) to a sumo match, and, sadly, getting murdered by the pool, thus depriving us of Curry’s magnetic presence for the rest of the film.
    — ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 26 Aug. 2026
  • The suite is named The Endeavour, after the airplane of a former owner’s daughter, aviatrix Elsie Mackay, who attempted to become the first woman to cross the Atlantic a year after Charles Lindbergh and sadly disappeared somewhere along the way.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of sadly
Adverb
  • Mayfield watched mournfully in his kitchen while the rest of the family sat in the living room with the big screen next to a Christmas tree.
    — John Romano, The Orlando Sentinel, 19 July 2026
  • So is the moment early in the film when Mary mournfully looks on as her long-ago home faces demolition to make room for a big, featureless residential complex.
    — Peter Tonguette, The Washington Examiner, 6 June 2026
Definition of mournfully

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plaintively
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Cite this Entry

“Plaintively.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plaintively. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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