tristful

[trist-fuhl]

adjective

1. full of sadness; sorrowful.

Other Word Forms

• tristfully adverb
• tristfulness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of tristful¹

1485–95; obsolete trist sad, gloomy (< Old French triste < Latin tristis ) + -ful

Example Sentences

Starting in 2016, gone will be the tristful effect of arcane vocabulary words such as “tristful” and “arcane”; gone will be the penalty for guessing wrong instead of leaving the answer blank; and gone will be the short-lived mandatory essay section, a test that reportedly places a higher value on loquaciousness than logic.

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"Whoever will give any information of these unfortunate, tristful gentlemen to the Hartford Convention, will confer a favor on humanity."

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Why had Pat only given her tristful white pearls?

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Or an alcoholic bard's notoriously rhythmical night thoughts: "'Twas upon a midnight tristful I sat poring, wan and wistful/ Through many a quaint and curious list full of my consorts slain."

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The Autumn wind was booming round the plantation and sweeping up the broad path down the hillside with a skelter of leaves that gave a wild gaiety to the usually tristful scene.

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