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 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 See All Example Sentences for plangent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for plangent
  1. mournful
  2. loud
  3. ringing
  4. weeping
  5. deafening
  6. round
  7. funeral
  8. shrill
Adjective
  • But there’s something mournful, something searching about his statement, too.
    — Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 24 July 2026
  • The teen’s father, Jesus Rivas, looked at the screen with a mournful expression and repeatedly checked on Martínez as their lawyer, Patrick Steinfeld, sat next to them.
    — Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 21 July 2026
Definition of mournful
Adjective
  • You, your inbox, your clients, your team, your boss, your calendar or the loudest problem in the room?
    — Ryan Dohrn, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026
  • To be heard above the din, the musicians and their instruments needed to be loud.
    — René Ostberg, Encyclopedia Britannica, 29 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
  • Dixon said other issues to be considered are the deafening roar of traffic passing under the footbridge on I-91 and how to soften it.
    — Kenneth R. Gosselin, Hartford Courant, 26 July 2026
  • 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
Definition of deafening
Adjective
  • The trip includes a two-night stay at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, round-trip flights for up to 12 guests, and a $4,000 MGM Resorts credit for dining and spa experiences.
    — Doug Gollan, Forbes.com, 27 July 2026
  • Ward, who will join returning assistant Ryan Bourque on the staff, coached one of the B’s top prospects, 2025 third rounder Cooper Simpson, last year at Youngstown.
    — Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 27 July 2026
Definition of round
Adjective
  • McConnell’s office did not immediately return a request for comment from Forbes regarding his plans to return to work or attend funeral services.
    — Zachary Folk, Forbes.com, 26 July 2026
  • Following Bodhi’s death, a GoFundMe was created to help cover funeral expenses for Bodhi and provide counseling to the family grieving his loss.
    — Ingrid Vasquez, PEOPLE, 25 July 2026
Definition of funeral
Adjective
  • That trademark indecision of summer takes root in her words and spreads through the music until her vocals diverge in the chorus, peeling like a clementine’s skin as one shrill line scales upward and the other remains monotone.
    — Hattie Lindert, Pitchfork, 21 July 2026
  • 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
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 31 Jul. 2026.

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