definitions

wistful

[ wist-fuhl ]
/ ˈwɪst fəl /
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR wistful ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

characterized by melancholy; longing; yearning.
pensive, especially in a melancholy way.

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RELATED WORDS

melancholy, sad, pensive, forlorn, nostalgic, thoughtful, dreamy, contemplative, mournful, plaintive, desirous, disconsolate, dreaming, hopeless, meditative, musing, reflective, wishful, yearning

Nearby words

wissler, wissler's syndrome, wist, wister, wisteria, wistful, wisła, wit, witan, witblits, witch

Origin of wistful

1605–15; obsolete wist quiet, silent, attentive (variant of whist2) + -ful

Related forms

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for wistful

British Dictionary definitions for wistful

wistful

/ (ˈwɪstfʊl) /

adjective

sadly pensive, esp about something yearned for

Derived Forms

wistfully, adverbwistfulness, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012