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
Altogether, Beckett sounded happy on the phone, hardly wistful.
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Tom Zoellner, SPIN, 27 Nov. 2024
To be sure, this type of nostalgia and wistful reflection speaks to a real-life community that often doesn’t get exposure on TV, which is part of the reason this series gets such stellar (confoundingly so, to some critics) ratings.
—Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 11 Nov. 2024
The Home for Retired Bears, benignly administered by the musical nuns, resembles an island gentlemen’s club in early Bond movies: think cane furniture, the wistful whiff of Empire and a faintly sinister air.
—Stephanie Bunbury, Deadline, 4 Nov. 2024
There’s something searching and wistful about this movie; it couldn’t have been made by a young person.
—Stephanie Zacharek, TIME, 1 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for wistful 
Tom Zoellner, SPIN, 27 Nov. 2024
To be sure, this type of nostalgia and wistful reflection speaks to a real-life community that often doesn’t get exposure on TV, which is part of the reason this series gets such stellar (confoundingly so, to some critics) ratings.
—Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 11 Nov. 2024
The Home for Retired Bears, benignly administered by the musical nuns, resembles an island gentlemen’s club in early Bond movies: think cane furniture, the wistful whiff of Empire and a faintly sinister air.
—Stephanie Bunbury, Deadline, 4 Nov. 2024
There’s something searching and wistful about this movie; it couldn’t have been made by a young person.
—Stephanie Zacharek, TIME, 1 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for wistful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wistful
Adjective
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The big-box retailer is also tapping into trends, such as pink Christmas decor, mini figurines for mantel landscapes, oversized bows for entryways and walls and nostalgic ceramic ornaments, spokesperson Brian Harper-Tibaldo said.Melissa Repko, CNBC, 18 Dec. 2024
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The images that went viral were often unnerving: high-flash nostalgic party pictures of grinning models with extra molars, or portraits of a sobbing Steve Harvey sloshing liquor in a pitch-black room.Jacqui Palumbo, CNN, 18 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Couture on Tour: An Emily in Paris Experience will combine the fashion and dreamy Parisian scenery of the Netflix comedy series for a unique sidewalk-to-stage event from Atomic Venus Media and Paramount.Christy Piña, The Hollywood Reporter, 17 Dec. 2024
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The capsule collection features two new, dreamy color duos: oak & alabaster or drizzle & overcast.Tanya Benedicto Klich, Forbes, 16 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Their puck play was sloppy, their penalty kill was awful and they got consistently outworked by the Canadiens.Matthew Fairburn, The Athletic, 18 Dec. 2024
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Another failed sloppy takedown briefly put Covington on the ground.Trent Reinsmith, Forbes, 15 Dec. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Wistful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wistful. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.
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