wistfully

[wist-fuh-lee]

adverb

1. in a way that is characterized by melancholy or longing; pensively.

   As soon as the first colored leaves appear, people start to speak wistfully of the last days of summer.

Other Word Forms

• unwistfully adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of wistfully¹

First recorded in 1660–70; wistful ( def. ) + -ly ( def. )

Example Sentences

“Maybe even jam cake,” Beowulf added wistfully, and began to drool.

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Gibson talks wistfully about their teen years, coming out, dating — they remain friends with all their exes — and being bullied.

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"If you do cyber-crime long enough you lose your edge," he says, wistfully.

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In this, Jen’s 10th book, she wistfully, unsparingly commemorates that “spring” — a punishing mother she nevertheless credits for “biting my heel.”

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So the album opens with the familiar, always timeless voice of Steve Earle, telling the story of Hopper’s childhood, wistfully looking at the trains heading west and dreaming of the future.

Read more on Salon