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
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
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
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for plangent
Adjective
-
Just over two weeks after the death of his father, Ozzy Osbourne, the metal legend’s youngest child, Jack Osbourne, shared a mournful tribute on Instagram.—
Larisha Paul,
Rolling Stone,
6 Aug. 2025
-
Ortega’s deadpan remains impeccable and her mournful gaze allows for viewer projection that goes beyond anything on the page, but Wednesday too often comes across as a piece of an ensemble at this point.—
Daniel Fienberg,
HollywoodReporter,
6 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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The employee said a juvenile inside the restaurant was becoming loud, aggressive and was threatening employees and using profanities, according to a report from The South Bend Tribune.—
Katie Wiseman,
IndyStar,
23 Aug. 2025
-
The timing is notable: Trump’s Truth Social post about Bolton had nothing to do with classified information and everything to do with the fact that Bolton was one of the loudest reality checks on television about the President’s embarrassing summit a day earlier with Vladimir Putin, in Alaska.—
Susan B. Glasser,
New Yorker,
22 Aug. 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
-
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
Adjective
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Yet given the league and many of its most prominent players' presence in social justice efforts, their silence around the violence being fueled by Rwanda and the UAE is all the more deafening.—
Nuri Kino,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 June 2025
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That visual message was audibly reinforced at a deafening level as the crowd cheered their neighbors who spoke against the proposal and booed a NIPSCO official and other business leaders who spoke in favor of it.—
Shelley Jones,
Chicago Tribune,
14 May 2025
Adjective
-
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, a £25million signing from Chelsea, slots into the No 10 position vacated by Abdoulaye Doucoure, while Carlos Alcaraz edges out Dwight McNeil to be Everton’s square peg in a round hole on the right flank.—
James McNicholas,
New York Times,
15 Aug. 2025
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The Packers are giving Morgan — their first round draft pick in 2024 — every chance to win the job, though.—
Rob Reischel,
Forbes.com,
14 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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And while high-fashion people are also known for their fondness for black outfits, this black feels a little more funeral black than everyday black.—
Kathleen Walsh,
Glamour,
20 Aug. 2025
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However, funeral arrangements for Henderson have yet to be announced.—
Haadiza Ogwude,
The Enquirer,
2 July 2025
Adjective
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There’s also a large cast of supporting characters, many called upon to strike shrill notes of hostility.—
Dennis Harvey,
Variety,
6 June 2025
-
The warnings start coming in, first shrill alarms from our cellphones alerting us of a tornado warning, and then the stirring call of tornado-warning sirens outside of the windows.—
Colleen Hagerty,
Rolling Stone,
27 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Plangent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plangent. Accessed 26 Aug. 2025.
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