1
as in mournful
expressing or suggesting mourning
a plangent, haunting song about a long-ago love
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in loud
marked by a high volume of sound
plangent organ music filled the church
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in ringing
marked by conspicuously full and rich sounds or tones
the strong, plangent tones of a Louis Armstrong trumpet solo
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of plangent
The composer Ralph Vaughan Williams, that warhorse of English traditionalism, is mentioned six times, and his plangent music—invoking a lost, idyllic England; a greener, more pleasant land—could easily be the novel’s soundtrack.
—
Charles McGrath, The Atlantic, 8 Oct. 2024
That deft level of craft is maintained throughout, while the aching musical bed by contemporary composer Nico Muhly adds just the right tone of plangent despair tinged with hope.
—Leslie Felperin, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
That deft level of craft is maintained throughout, while the aching musical bed by contemporary composer Nico Muhly adds just the right tone of plangent despair tinged with hope.
—Leslie Felperin, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
The composer Ralph Vaughan Williams, that warhorse of English traditionalism, is mentioned six times, and his plangent music—invoking a lost, idyllic England; a greener, more pleasant land—could easily be the novel’s soundtrack.
—Charles McGrath, The Atlantic, 8 Oct. 2024
The Tokyo composer and guitarist riffs on themes of real and imagined memories and the passage of time in plangent compositions replete with airy tones, childlike melodies, and molasses-thick smears of resonant harmony.
—Hattie Lindert, Pitchfork, 6 Oct. 2023
Indeed the music, with its banging, techno-style beats looped against plangent piano, analogizes Jamal’s predicament rather perfectly.
—Jessica Kiang, Variety, 25 Mar. 2023
The piercing sense of place that Samuel D. Hunter brings to his work, the majority of it set in his home state of Idaho, has perhaps never been accompanied by such plangent notes of sorrow as in his new play, Greater Clements.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Dec. 2019
Image The pool party is a squirmy tour de force embellished with a punctuating zoom and a plangent sense of dread that make Kayla’s isolation feel like alienation.
—Bo Burnham, New York Times, 11 July 2018
Charles McGrath, The Atlantic, 8 Oct. 2024
That deft level of craft is maintained throughout, while the aching musical bed by contemporary composer Nico Muhly adds just the right tone of plangent despair tinged with hope.
—Leslie Felperin, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
That deft level of craft is maintained throughout, while the aching musical bed by contemporary composer Nico Muhly adds just the right tone of plangent despair tinged with hope.
—Leslie Felperin, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
The composer Ralph Vaughan Williams, that warhorse of English traditionalism, is mentioned six times, and his plangent music—invoking a lost, idyllic England; a greener, more pleasant land—could easily be the novel’s soundtrack.
—Charles McGrath, The Atlantic, 8 Oct. 2024
The Tokyo composer and guitarist riffs on themes of real and imagined memories and the passage of time in plangent compositions replete with airy tones, childlike melodies, and molasses-thick smears of resonant harmony.
—Hattie Lindert, Pitchfork, 6 Oct. 2023
Indeed the music, with its banging, techno-style beats looped against plangent piano, analogizes Jamal’s predicament rather perfectly.
—Jessica Kiang, Variety, 25 Mar. 2023
The piercing sense of place that Samuel D. Hunter brings to his work, the majority of it set in his home state of Idaho, has perhaps never been accompanied by such plangent notes of sorrow as in his new play, Greater Clements.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Dec. 2019
Image The pool party is a squirmy tour de force embellished with a punctuating zoom and a plangent sense of dread that make Kayla’s isolation feel like alienation.
—Bo Burnham, New York Times, 11 July 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for plangent
Adjective
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That consistency was perhaps why, despite the Warriors’ stunning Game 1 win, the tone of their postgame interviews was at times mournful rather than celebratory.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
7 May 2025
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One aspect is the story that is told, which is a very mournful story of a mother losing a child and then abandoning herself to the river as the child was.—
Nick Romano,
EW.com,
6 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Fans were loud in their disappointment of the concluding storyline, with clamours for a further season to tie up loose ends, and UK press has previously indicated a seventh season is secretly in the works.—
Caroline Frost,
Deadline,
3 May 2025
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While no one loves listening to a saw cut down a dead tree, there are times when large, loud projects need to get done to keep your home safe.—
Maggie Gillette,
Better Homes & Gardens,
3 May 2025
Adjective
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Although it can be characterized by a ringing, pulsing, buzzing, hissing or squealing sound, audiologists say the source of the condition lies in the brain's neural networks.—
Adrianna Rodriguez,
USA Today,
30 Apr. 2025
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But with a will Strike all your harps and set them ringing; On hill and heath Let every breath Throw all its power into singing!—
Vinson Cunningham,
The New Yorker,
25 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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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
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The show manages to stay on the brink — always laughing, never quite weeping — for its entire length.—
Helen Shaw,
Vulture,
8 Dec. 2021
Adjective
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Sudden showers of beer, cider, and other mysterious fluids became as integral to the vibe as the deafening roar of the crowd.—
Andrew McNicol,
CNN,
22 Mar. 2025
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But there’s no deafening scream of a Formula 1 race.—
Bill Kearney,
Sun Sentinel,
7 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Plus, keep scrolling for more small-space patio furniture set deals, including a round metal style and a three-piece rattan seating group.—
Clint Davis,
People.com,
29 Apr. 2025
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Time will tell if first round TE Colston Loveland was the correct choice over Tyler Warren. 🤷🏻 Cleveland Browns (I – for incomplete) — Think this assessment is a copout?—
Jim Reineking,
USA Today,
29 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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The obituary adds that a visitation service is set for Tuesday, April 29, and a funeral mass is set for Wednesday, April 30.—
Charlotte Phillipp,
People.com,
29 Apr. 2025
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The announcement follows a weekend of prayer and reflection at the Vatican, where world leaders and the faithful gathered on Saturday for a funeral mass.—
Phoebe Natanson,
ABC News,
28 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Their bathroom floor also pooled with water after showering, and noise from other apartments, like the shrill beeps of a low-battery smoke detector next door, carried through the paper-thin walls.—
Matthew Sedacca,
Curbed,
22 Apr. 2025
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As such, The Studio is shrill and talky, its chaotic scenes sparked by random performers like Charlize Theron, Zac Efron, Olivia Wilde and Sarah Polley, all of whom want something from Remick.—
Peter Bart,
Deadline,
10 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Plangent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plangent. Accessed 12 May. 2025.
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