as in mournful
expressing or suggesting mourning
the puppy's plaintive expression after we put the toy away was rather amusing
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of plaintive
On the new Foxes in the Snow, a solo album that benches his longtime backing band the 400 Unit in favor of just his plaintive voice and Martin acoustic guitar, Isbell seems to realize that not every song needs to be an opus.
—
Joseph Hudak, Rolling Stone, 3 Mar. 2025
Zelenskyy made a plaintive statement about the state of play.
—Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 15 Feb. 2025
Breathless had started as a somewhat conventional project that Godard turned into an irreverent formal free-for-all; the noirish, plaintive Le petit soldat had enough genre elements to mistake it for something more traditional.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 7 Feb. 2025
People swarmed in every direction: babies, the elderly, plaintive children negotiating dog acquisitions with their parents.
—Chloe Malle, Vogue, 28 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for plaintive
Joseph Hudak, Rolling Stone, 3 Mar. 2025
Zelenskyy made a plaintive statement about the state of play.
—Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 15 Feb. 2025
Breathless had started as a somewhat conventional project that Godard turned into an irreverent formal free-for-all; the noirish, plaintive Le petit soldat had enough genre elements to mistake it for something more traditional.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 7 Feb. 2025
People swarmed in every direction: babies, the elderly, plaintive children negotiating dog acquisitions with their parents.
—Chloe Malle, Vogue, 28 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for plaintive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for plaintive
Adjective
-
This is a love story, after all, and one with a keen grasp of the mournful, curious glances between its two leads — of how much goes untranslated between them, and how much is conveyed.—
Sheri Linden,
New York Times,
27 Mar. 2025
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In a circular frame at the center of the screen, still images and footage of the deceased played over the swelling, mournful music in a static shot anchoring the four-and-a-half-minute segment, which was capped off by a final photograph of Hackman.—
Dade Hayes,
Deadline,
2 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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And every day, across from them, outside the clinic, about to enter or just leaving, there were women hugging each other and weeping.—
David Mamet,
National Review,
11 Aug. 2022
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The show manages to stay on the brink — always laughing, never quite weeping — for its entire length.—
Helen Shaw,
Vulture,
8 Dec. 2021
Adjective
-
The squads will rotate funeral duty to maintain their health.—
Tom Vanden Brook,
USA Today,
8 Apr. 2025
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Many of the items had been burned, suggesting that they might have been torched upon a funeral pyre, but no human remains were found amid the assemblage.—
News Desk,
Artforum,
26 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Since the release of his revered 2007 debut For Emma, Forever Ago – a cult-classic isolation record composed by a heartbroken Vernon in a cabin in the Wisconsin woods – the musician has transformed himself time and time again.—
Leah Lu,
Rolling Stone,
7 Apr. 2025
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His heartbroken wife, Jennifer Vasquez Sura, and their son, both U.S. citizens, have sued the government demanding his return.—
Rebecca Morin,
USA Today,
4 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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The bitter dispute recently tipped into its fourth consecutive month and has escalated.—
Anna Cooban,
CNN Money,
5 Apr. 2025
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Which is really too bad because bitter is a lot more fun to watch on TV.—
Dalton Ross,
EW.com,
3 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Plaintive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plaintive. Accessed 14 Apr. 2025.
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