wistful

adjective

wist·​ful ˈwist-fəl 

1

: full of yearning or desire tinged with melancholy

also : inspiring such yearning

a wistful memoir

2

: musingly sad : pensive

a wistful glance

wistfully

ˈwist-fə-lē 

adverb

wistfulness noun

Did you know?

Wistful Has a Wishful History

We see you there, dear reader, gazing silently up at the moon, heart aching to know the history of wistful, as if it could be divined on the lunar surface. And we’d like to ease your melancholy by telling you that the knowledge you seek—nay, pine for—is closer at hand. But the etymology of wistful, while intriguing, is not entirely clear. It’s thought that the word is a combination of wistly, a now-obsolete word meaning “intently” and, perhaps, the similar-sounding wishful. Wistly, in turn, may have come from whistly, an old term meaning “silently” or “quietly.” What’s more certain is that our modern wistful is a great word to describe someone full of pensive yearning, or something inspiring such yearning.

Examples of wistful in a Sentence

She was wistful for a moment, then asked, “Do you remember the old playground?”.

He had a wistful look on his face.

Recent Examples on the Web

In his fourth feature, American filmmaker Charlie McDowell makes an equally respectful and respectable stab at the task, capturing some of the wistful, soft-sun warmth of Jansson’s writing — though not quite matching its unassuming poetic depths. —Guy Lodge, Variety, 17 Oct. 2024

A lot of us tend to recall fun times (playing in leaves, cheering at football games, baking treats with friends and family), but for people who have negative associations with the season, its scent may trigger unpleasant or wistful reminders, Dr. Parma says. —Lauren Mazzo, SELF, 8 Oct. 2024

But the brothers also encountered plenty of enthusiasm—and some wistful envy from those reminded of their own unrealized yearning for exploration. —Francine Uenuma, Smithsonian Magazine, 4 Oct. 2024

There were still genius oddities here and there—the wistful video gamey emo of Jane Remover’s Teen Week/Frailty, underscores’ fictional town odysseys, DJ Re:Code’s ADHD-core hyper-hyper-pop. —Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 3 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

blend of wishful and obsolete English wistly intently

First Known Use

1714, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Podcast

Get Word of the Day delivered to your inbox!

Kids Definition

wistful

adjective

wist·​ful ˈwist-fəl 

: feeling or showing a timid desire

a wistful look on his face

wistfully

-fə-lē 

adverb

wistfulness noun