plangent

American  

[plan-juhnt] / ˈplæn dʒənt /

adjective

1. resounding loudly, especially with a plaintive sound, as a bell.

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plangent British  

/ ˈplændʒənt /

adjective

1. having a loud deep sound

2. resonant and mournful in sound

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Other Word Forms

• plangency
  noun
• plangently
  adverb

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Etymology

Origin of plangent

1815–25; < Latin plangent- (stem of plangēns ), present participle of plangere to beat, lament. See plain ², -ent

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Explanation

Any sound described as plangent echoes in a loud and often mournful way. There may be certain sad songs with plangent choruses that make you cry every time you hear them. The haunting peal of a church bell is plangent, and a poet's plangent, resonant tones when she reads her latest work might send chills down your spine. The adjective plangent isn't one you hear very often (it appears most frequently in a literary context), but it's good for capturing a specific sound that evokes an emotional response. Plangent originally meant "beating with a loud sound," from the Latin plangere, "to strike or beat."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

plangent

Tens of thousands of these birds, with their 6-foot wingspans, take off and head south for the winter, their plangent trumpeting drowning out all other sounds.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 29, 2026

Where are the movie stars and pop icons with their beautifully produced plangent video pleas for justice?

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 12, 2026

The column in which this plangent cri de coeur appeared bears the subtle title “More Babies, Please.”

From Washington Post ● Apr. 27, 2023

In the three decades since his diagnosis, he has released about 100 records — gentle suites of forlorn melodies, relentless spans of plangent notes, and, most recently, sprawling drifts of ghostly tones.

From New York Times ● Sep. 22, 2022

As the forest’s warning became louder, more plangent and strident, William’s buoyant mood shivered, quailed, and fled like a routed army from the field.

From "The Inquisitor's Tale" by Adam Gidwitz

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