wistfulness

American

[wist-fuhl-nis] / ˈwɪst fəl nɪs /

noun

a mental state or emotion characterized by melancholy, longing, or pensiveness, or an instance of this.

The film’s visuals occasionally aspire to the dark contours of a graphic novel, and, at other times, evoke the wistfulness of a watercolor painting.
It's an extreme novel that conveys its dark message with heart and many moments of wistfulness.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

unwistfulness

noun

Etymology

Origin of wistfulness

wistful ( def. ) + -ness ( def. )

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.

Singsong rhyme and meter are out; free verse and wistfulness are in.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 19, 2026

Omid, whose English surpasses Marjan’s own level, has excited such hopes, and the touchingly Chekhovian quasi-romance between them adds a gentle note of amorous wistfulness.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 11, 2026

All of the romance and wistfulness of the concert can’t undo years of heartbreak and resentment.

From Salon • Feb. 5, 2026

Schneider said he and many of those active in the Yiddish scene are alive to the "danger of becoming really wrapped in a ball of nostalgia and wistfulness".

From Barron's • Oct. 26, 2025

That particular bitterness was Minya’s, but sometimes he fell prey to wistfulness, too.

From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023