plaintive
adjective
\
Definition of plaintive
Keep scrolling for more
Synonyms for plaintive
Synonyms
aching, agonized, anguished, bemoaning, bewailing, bitter, deploring, doleful, dolesome, dolorous, funeral, grieving, heartbroken, lamentable, lugubrious, mournful, plangent, regretful, rueful, sorrowful, sorry, wailing, weeping, woeful
Visit the Thesaurus for More
Examples of plaintive in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The Modzitzer sect, based in Bnei Brak, Israel, is famous in the Jewish world for soulful melodies, sometimes plaintive and sometimes joyous. — Joseph Berger, New York Times, "Velvel Pasternak, Preserver of Hasidic Music, Is Dead at 85," 12 June 2019 Inslee said, his voice rising in one of the debateās most plaintive moments. — Matt Pearce, Los Angeles Times, "Jay Inslee drops out of 2020 presidential race," 21 Aug. 2019 Tetris Effect is still Tetris filtered through a heady, sincere blend of hyper-chromatic visuals and plaintive electronic music. — Sam Byford, The Verge, "Tetris Effect remains transcendent on PC," 24 July 2019 And lurking within, at the foot of the holy mountain known as Nanda Devi, lies an inviolable Shangri-la of golden grassland, silent but for the rumble of avalanches and the plaintive bleats of wild sheep. — National Geographic, "Why the worldās most daunting mountains inspire me," 11 Apr. 2019 This is the neighborhood where Jimmie (Fails) has been crashing with his best friend, the aspiring playwright Montgomery, played with a plaintive assurance by Jonathan Majors. — Michael Phillips, chicagotribune.com, "'Last Black Man in San Francisco' review: This old house tells a story," 11 June 2019 The plaintive piece, originally performed by Lee in 2011, tells blunt stories about disappointments, then breaks into songs about how, say, none of us are special enough to avoid catastrophe in life. — Nelson Pressley, Washington Post, "āWeāre Gonna Dieā makes you feel okay about it," 4 June 2019 His voice lived in contrast to his body, small and plaintive. — Lena Dunham, Vogue, "Can a Good Man Mistreat You During SexāIf Thatās What You Desire?," 18 Mar. 2019 But then something like a melody arrives, and the song begins to resolve itself into something clean, plaintive, not nervous at all. — Jon Pareles, New York Times, "The Playlist: Pearl Jam Kicks Up a Fury, and 9 More New Songs," 16 Mar. 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'plaintive.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
More Definitions for plaintive
plaintive
adjective
English Language Learners Definition of plaintive
See the full definition for plaintive in the English Language Learners Dictionary
plaintive
adjective
\
Kids Definition of plaintive
Keep scrolling for more