plaintive
adjective
expressing sorrow or melancholy; mournful.
plaintively
-
a word derived from
plaintive.
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.
"But there's no soul," he answered almost plaintively.
From Barron's ● Jun. 19, 2026
Ferrabosco’s surviving number, “Come Away, Come Away,” was a pleasantly simple tune, less sophisticated than John Coprario’s mourning song, “So Parted You,” in which the violins plaintively echoed the singer.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 4, 2025
Now 59, she sings plaintively about absent friends and the physical reckonings of age: “I can change the way I feel/I can make my body heal.”
From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2024
In 1988 “Fast Car” plaintively voiced one woman’s lament at being unable to break the cycle of poverty, while speaking to widespread disillusionment at watching the so-called American dream slip away.
From Salon ● Feb. 7, 2024
Her muffled and restrained voice remarked plaintively: “You said you were happy just now.”
From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White
