plaintively

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 Mia plaintively asks Philip at one particularly vulnerable moment. Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for plaintively
Adverb
  • Tom’s final epiphany related to his estranged son isn’t earned, but not because of Ruffalo; his performance cuts a fine line between bitterly self-destructive and warmly spiritual.
    Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 5 Sep. 2025
  • San Francisco officials fought bitterly against Waymo and now-defunct Cruise robotaxis from General Motors, after their vehicles repeatedly blocked traffic and emergency vehicles, with Cruise the main perpetrator.
    Ethan Baron, Mercury News, 5 Sep. 2025
Adverb
  • But sadly, the no-muss, no-fuss era of a single must-have national rail pass is over.
    Jessica Kozuka, Travel + Leisure, 7 Sep. 2025
  • But sadly, after many rescue attempts, BSC closed for good in 2024, unable to overcome the financial issues that had plagued the school for decades.
    Katherine Polcari, Southern Living, 6 Sep. 2025
Adverb
  • Noah Baumbach’s painfully incisive portrait of a family divorce among a remarkably prickly family of Brooklyn intellectuals finds so many ways to showcase its characters’ most brittle sides.
    Joe Reid, Vulture, 29 Aug. 2025
  • There was a recognition Amorim’s predecessors had assembled a painfully lopsided squad, while the club had lacked a football structure since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in May 2013.
    Dan Cancian, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Plaintively.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plaintively. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.

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