as in mournful
expressing or suggesting mourning
the puppy's plaintive expression after we put the toy away was rather amusing
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Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of plaintive
Yet its plaintive tone underlined a deeper concern.
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Ned Temko, The Christian Science Monitor, 18 July 2024
The plaintive piano notes that open Ambient 1: Music for Airports are the first sounds many encountered in connection with ambient music, and the album that gave the genre its name is still widely cited as its greatest.
—Daniel Bromfield, SPIN, 16 July 2024
Miller’s Taya is plaintive, searching, but also resolute, willing to face the reality that life with a perpetual ghost is no life at all.
—Stephanie Zacharek, TIME, 28 June 2024
There, Kahan, a 27-year-old Vermont folk singer who’s captured TikTok’s Gen Z romantics, got nearly every one of his plaintive lyrics absolutely howled back at him.
—August Brown, Los Angeles Times, 21 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for plaintive 
Ned Temko, The Christian Science Monitor, 18 July 2024
The plaintive piano notes that open Ambient 1: Music for Airports are the first sounds many encountered in connection with ambient music, and the album that gave the genre its name is still widely cited as its greatest.
—Daniel Bromfield, SPIN, 16 July 2024
Miller’s Taya is plaintive, searching, but also resolute, willing to face the reality that life with a perpetual ghost is no life at all.
—Stephanie Zacharek, TIME, 28 June 2024
There, Kahan, a 27-year-old Vermont folk singer who’s captured TikTok’s Gen Z romantics, got nearly every one of his plaintive lyrics absolutely howled back at him.
—August Brown, Los Angeles Times, 21 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for plaintive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for plaintive
Adjective
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That undoubtedly contributes to the mournful feeling that has enveloped Númenor, which is still dealing with the death of King Tar-Palantir and the fallout of Mount Doom’s eruption, including Míriel’s loss of sight.Keith Phipps, Vulture, 29 Aug. 2024
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Soon a mournful blue light would rise over the islands in the sea.Greg Jackson, The New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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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
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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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The deceased who are buried at the site would likely have been burnt on funeral pyres.Marco Rubio, Newsweek, 1 Nov. 2024
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The funeral banner features a typical mix of Lebanese faces, making up three generations of a Shiite Muslim family that lived for decades in this predominantly Christian area north of Beirut.Scott Peterson, The Christian Science Monitor, 29 Oct. 2024
Adjective
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Monét began her tweet with five heartbroken emojis.Anna Chan, Billboard, 4 Nov. 2024
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Animal lovers have been left heartbroken by a dog who has already been adopted and returned to the shelter twice in her young life.David Faris, Newsweek, 3 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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That will come as a bitter blow to the workers affected.The Week UK, theweek, 10 Nov. 2024
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On the eve of the election, amid a bitter chill, Marisela Olvera, a member of the Culinary Workers Union, rapped on doors in North Las Vegas to make her pitch.Brittny Mejia, Los Angeles Times, 5 Nov. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near plaintive
Cite this Entry
“Plaintive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plaintive. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.
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