plaintiveness

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for plaintiveness
Noun
  • The question for me is whether or not Lloyd will also manage to capture the melancholy of a deceptively serious play, notwithstanding its reputation.
    — Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 23 Sep. 2026
  • On the one hand, there’s a fascination with collective joy and the forms of vernacular invention that aspire to it; on the other, there’s an underlying melancholy that points to the inevitability of isolation, an epistemology of loneliness.
    — Pablo Larios, Artforum, 1 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • Power Ballad should be breezy and fun, with that twist of mournfulness that Carney is always so adept at pulling off.
    — Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 29 May 2026
Noun
  • In the space of a few paragraphs, Ned will abandon and recover his child, bungle an extramarital affair, win and lose, experience ecstasy and dejection.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 24 Sep. 2026
  • Miller’s hands dropped quickly to his side in frustrated dejection.
    — Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the attack in separate statements and expressed sorrow over the deaths.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 20 Sep. 2026
  • In direct contradiction to Herzog, Zamir’s office stated that Azaria had never expressed sorrow or remorse about the killing.
    — Oren Liebermann, CNN Money, 20 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • They are finally revealed as the head-lamps of a gang of thieves, robbing a church, caught closer up, their faces occasionally emerging from the gloom.
    — John Hopewell, Variety, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Inside, we were whisked away to a world of rain and candles and velvet and creepy houses and stormy, witchy gloom.
    — Danielle Pergament, Allure, 14 Sep. 2026
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.

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Cite this Entry

“Plaintiveness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plaintiveness. Accessed 28 Sep. 2026.

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