wistful
Americanadjective
-
characterized by melancholy or longing.
-
pensive, especially in a melancholy way.
- Synonyms:
- forlorn, meditative, musing, contemplative, reflective
adjective
Other Word Forms
- unwistful adjective
- wistfully adverb
- wistfulness noun
Etymology
Origin of wistful
First recorded in 1605–15; obsolete wist “quiet, silent, attentive” (variant of whist 2 ) + -ful
Explanation
Only one letter separates the two words, but "wishful" is having hope for something, and wistful is having sadness or melancholy about something. "Wist" isn't even a word that's used anymore, but you can still be wistful. People who appear wistful often show a longing for something or a look of serious reflection. One way to describe the adjective wistful is as the sad appearance of someone looking back and thinking "if only..." A thoughtful or pensive mood centered on something good in the past that is missed or something not so good in the present that could have been better "if only" something had gone differently — these things make for a wistful outlook.
Vocabulary lists containing wistful
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ACT Reading Test: Words to Capture Tone, List 1
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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.
The first single, Days We Left Behind, premiered on BBC Radio Merseyside, and finds the singer in a wistful, nostalgic mood.
From BBC • Mar. 26, 2026
She is not the only interviewee to cite something that comes across as more of a wistful regret than an actual blunder.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 27, 2026
Some people who don’t expect an inheritance might feel wistful or even sad about their financial prospects, especially when relatives and friends are on the receiving end.
From MarketWatch • Feb. 13, 2026
They were signs of a nation’s respect, or at least wistful nostalgia.
From Slate • Feb. 6, 2026
The mother gave Obinze a long look, even more wistful than before.
From "Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
