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

Etymology

Origin of plangent

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

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

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

A clear highlight was “Amelia,” a plangent, airy meditation on freedom and flight.

From New York Times • Jun. 11, 2023

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

From Washington Post • Apr. 27, 2023

He plays subtext beautifully in “Spiderhead,” with plangent notes of regret.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 16, 2022

One evening, camped at the edge of a deep wood, Tristran heard something he had never heard before: a beautiful melody, plangent and strange.

From "Stardust" by Neil Gaiman