as in nostalgic
showing or evoking a sad longing for an often idealized past
She felt wistful looking through her college yearbook, remembering old friends she had not seen in decades.
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Recent Examples of wistful
One wistful way to follow Redford’s career is to trace the paths not taken, and to set them beside the adventurous ones pursued by his contemporaries and forbears.
—
Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 18 Sep. 2025
The night delivered 18 songs in two hours, from political and environmental protest numbers to love songs, from wistful tales of days and friends gone by to, at one point, an ode to his tour bus.
—Peter Larsen, Oc Register, 16 Sep. 2025
Co-written with Claire Douglas, Hannah Ellis, and Jason Massey, the song explores the uneasy tendency to sabotage our own happiness, pairing wistful guitars with Velasco's soaring vocals.
—Daniel Fusch, USA Today, 12 Sep. 2025
Now summer is slinking off and autumn is rushing in, cool and a little wistful.
—Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 6 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for wistful
Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 18 Sep. 2025
The night delivered 18 songs in two hours, from political and environmental protest numbers to love songs, from wistful tales of days and friends gone by to, at one point, an ode to his tour bus.
—Peter Larsen, Oc Register, 16 Sep. 2025
Co-written with Claire Douglas, Hannah Ellis, and Jason Massey, the song explores the uneasy tendency to sabotage our own happiness, pairing wistful guitars with Velasco's soaring vocals.
—Daniel Fusch, USA Today, 12 Sep. 2025
Now summer is slinking off and autumn is rushing in, cool and a little wistful.
—Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 6 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for wistful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wistful
Adjective
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The end result is a timeless, nostalgic look that never feels cramped.—
Tessa Cooper,
Better Homes & Gardens,
5 Oct. 2025
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While critics were divided at the time, Casper became a box office hit and earned its place as a nostalgic favorite for '90s kids.—
Allison DeGrushe,
Entertainment Weekly,
4 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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But the Nespresso Aeroccino 4 struggled to give me those dreamy clouds of foam, especially with oat milk.—
Bon Appétit,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
2 Oct. 2025
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The film unfolds in a dreamy, meandering flow, following Mark around the world and into his home, gliding from the pressures of the octagon (where MMA athletes duke it out) to scenes of more quotidian domesticity.—
Richard Lawson,
Rolling Stone,
1 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
The sloppy play extended beyond the penalties.—
Daniel Popper,
New York Times,
6 Oct. 2025
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The sweater’s hip-skimming length and relaxed cut result in a fit that feels effortlessly lived-in (not sloppy), while its wear-with-anything design is easy to style.—
Averi Baudler,
PEOPLE,
4 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Wistful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wistful. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
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