plangent

adjective

ˈplan-jənt How to pronounce plangent (audio)
Definition of plangentnext
1
as in mournful
expressing or suggesting mourning a plangent, haunting song about a long-ago love

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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

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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 plangent Track six, on the other hand, recalls the plangent reveries of ’90s IDM artists like Arovane. — Philip Sherburne, Pitchfork, 18 July 2026 Anyone can strike a piano key and generate a note Vladimir Horowitz would be proud of, but getting one plangent tone out of a clarinet is a real triumph. — Robert Klose, Christian Science Monitor, 10 Oct. 2025 The polar figures of 16th-century Italian choral music, Palestrina, the Apollonian master of elegant counterpoint, and Gesualdo, the violent renegade of plangent harmonies, meet on the same program presented by Miller Theater. — Justin Davidson, Vulture, 10 Sep. 2025 Musically, the song is indistinguishable from most modern country — a plangent guitar melody leading the way, followed by the sinister percussive drop of a trap beat. — Jon Caramanica, New York Times, 21 May 2025 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 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 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for plangent
  1. mournful
  2. loud
  3. ringing
  4. weeping
  5. deafening
  6. round
  7. funeral
  8. shrill
Adjective
  • The years have only intensified Zimmerman’s mournful, hushed vocal performance, and Dream Me a Dream often plays out like a bedtime story spun by a beloved elder, accompanied by soft strings, shakers, and even a synth or two.
    — Hattie Lindert, Pitchfork, 19 June 2026
  • The drama can stir up nostalgia and mournful emotions, and feels personal to many.
    — Alyssa Goldberg, USA Today, 3 June 2026
Definition of mournful
Adjective
  • Fedorov’s removal came as Russian missiles struck Kyiv early Thursday, with loud explosions heard in the Ukrainian capital just hours before British Prime Minister Keir Starmer was set to arrive.
    — Tim Lister, CNN Money, 16 July 2026
  • Because of the mechanical complexity required to pull the large film stock through these cameras, the cameras are known to be notoriously expensive, heavy, and loud.
    — Laura Payne, Encyclopedia Britannica, 15 July 2026
Definition of loud
Adjective
  • The murder mystery has so far flown under the radar, despite having Emmy winner Tatiana Maslany as the lead, but just received a ringing endorsement from author extraordinaire Stephen King.
    — Marcus Jones, IndieWire, 25 June 2026
  • About a dozen other Republican backers of the Iran war either declined or did not respond to requests for interviews or comment—hardly a ringing endorsement of their president’s negotiating prowess.
    — Vivian Salama, The Atlantic, 15 June 2026
Definition of ringing
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
  • Heavy raindrops flew sideways, smacking against the hood of my rain jacket and creating a nearly deafening white noise.
    — Patrick Connolly, The Orlando Sentinel, 17 July 2026
  • Each time the Swiss team scored, a deafening roar cut through the thick tropical air.
    — Rob Schmitz, NPR, 24 June 2026
Definition of deafening
Adjective
  • The potential path is long and demanding, starting with the visit of Pyunik on Wednesday evening for a first qualifying round clash that will see the winners take on either Northern Ireland’s Glentoran or Latvian side Riga.
    — Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 21 July 2026
  • That set the stage for his post-round media availability, where, naturally, he was asked again about the DeChambeau ruling.
    — Ian Miller OutKick, FOXNews.com, 20 July 2026
Definition of round
Adjective
  • When his funeral conflicts with Lonnie’s tee time, The Hawk texts in his eulogy between holes.
    — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 16 July 2026
  • Details about the funeral arrangements for Nolan Wells, the teen who was found dead on July 6 after visiting Horn Island, Mississippi, have been released.
    — Meagan Jordan, Rolling Stone, 15 July 2026
Definition of funeral
Adjective
  • On shrill winter nights, Moscow’s power is conspicuous, its Orthodox cathedrals and Stalinist high-rises illuminated, though the view falls dim in the autumn and spring, shrouded in sheets of greige.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 3 Apr. 2026
  • The chaos is still an acceptable price to pay for Birney’s expertly offputting performance, a shrill mania that gets increasingly comic over time.
    — Alison Herman, Variety, 26 Mar. 2026
Definition of shrill

Browse Nearby Words

planets
plangent
planing
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Cite this Entry

“Plangent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plangent. Accessed 21 Jul. 2026.

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