wistfully

American  

[wist-fuh-lee] / ˈwɪst fə li /

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.

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Other Word Forms

• unwistfully
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of wistfully

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

Explanation

Wistfully describes something that's done with longing or regret. You might smile wistfully while sitting on a train that's pulling away from the station, leaving your hometown behind. If there's a vague sense of yearning behind an action, you can say it's done wistfully. People sigh wistfully, gaze wistfully, and wave goodbye wistfully — thinking about the past or what you are leaving behind with a little bit of sadness. In the 1600s, wistfully had a completely different meaning — from the now-obsolete word wist, or intent — done with close attention. It gained today's meaning in the early 1700s.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

wistfully

“The joke is I wanted a great room. I got a good room. It ain’t great,” he says wistfully.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 6, 2026

At Ojai, Lewis wistfully performed the solo prelude off in Libbey Park shrubbery as if a dallying forest spirit summoning ghosts of festivals past.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 23, 2026

"Leather on willow, country pubs and just the loveliness of England," she muses wistfully.

From BBC ● Jun. 5, 2026

“Girl” is the only example in this series to feature his best-known motif: a little girl reaching wistfully for a drifting balloon, Gouzer said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 21, 2026

She stared wistfully through the grate a moment, then looked up at Reynie as if surprised to see him still standing there.

From "The Mysterious Benedict Society" by Trenton Lee Stewart