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

“All In the Family” signposted its main character’s irascible bigotry and generation-gap grievances in the first minute by having its main character sing wistfully of a time when “Guys like me we had it made.”

From Salon • Apr. 25, 2026

Inara George looks back on it now as wistfully as someone remembering a love affair or a semester abroad.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 20, 2026

"Americans visiting Singapore can be forgiven for wistfully wondering why our own cities don't seem so well-managed," he wrote in his book Triumph of the City.

From BBC • Mar. 7, 2026

In “The Rest of Our Lives,” Tom is a modern melancholic, and some of the stops on his journey are to see people he wistfully associates with his youth.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 26, 2025

His eyes glazed over, then he said wistfully, “It was a good restaurant, wasn’t it?”

From "A Place to Belong" by Cynthia Kadohata