wistful
Americanadjective
-
characterized by melancholy or longing.
-
pensive, especially in a melancholy way.
- Synonyms:
- forlorn, meditative, musing, contemplative, reflective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of wistful
First recorded in 1605–15; obsolete wist “quiet, silent, attentive” (variant of whist 2 ) + -ful
Explanation
Only one letter separates the two words, but "wishful" is having hope for something, and wistful is having sadness or melancholy about something. "Wist" isn't even a word that's used anymore, but you can still be wistful. People who appear wistful often show a longing for something or a look of serious reflection. One way to describe the adjective wistful is as the sad appearance of someone looking back and thinking "if only..." A thoughtful or pensive mood centered on something good in the past that is missed or something not so good in the present that could have been better "if only" something had gone differently — these things make for a wistful outlook.
Vocabulary lists containing wistful
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Both women were openly wistful about having to leave that behind for one spent supporting their husbands in Washington, D.C.
From Salon ● Jul. 29, 2026
When most people think of the foundational figures in American environmentalism, they likely conjure up such wistful white Transcendentalists as Henry David Thoreau, Ralph Waldo Emerson and Louisa May Alcott.
From Salon ● Jun. 19, 2026
Natalie Cassidy looks wistful as she thinks back to caring for her dying father in his final days.
From BBC ● May 24, 2026
All media this week rang with Ted Turner’s achievements, and if you lived through his rise, the sound of his name brought a wistful smile.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 7, 2026
Jo thought she was asleep, she lay so still, and putting down her book, sat looking at her with wistful eyes, trying to see signs of hope in the faint color on Beth’s cheeks.
From "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
