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
Santa Cruz’s tiny agonies manage a delicate balance between stately, shimmering guitar lines and plaintive synthesizer accompaniment while Bazan sings with a gusto that bests his finest performances.
—
Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 3 Dec. 2024
Stunted by the work of its actors, this plaintive vision of the Aymara people remains at a remove, stronger as a provocation on paper than as a morality tale on the screen.
—Manuel Betancourt, Variety, 27 Nov. 2024
The unheard melody is unmistakably a plaintive one.
—April White, JSTOR Daily, 18 Nov. 2024
As Paddington, Ben Whishaw’s slightly plaintive voice merges seamlessly with Pablo Grillo’s furry animation.
—Stephanie Bunbury, Deadline, 4 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for plaintive 
Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 3 Dec. 2024
Stunted by the work of its actors, this plaintive vision of the Aymara people remains at a remove, stronger as a provocation on paper than as a morality tale on the screen.
—Manuel Betancourt, Variety, 27 Nov. 2024
The unheard melody is unmistakably a plaintive one.
—April White, JSTOR Daily, 18 Nov. 2024
As Paddington, Ben Whishaw’s slightly plaintive voice merges seamlessly with Pablo Grillo’s furry animation.
—Stephanie Bunbury, Deadline, 4 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for plaintive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for plaintive
Adjective
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Outwardly glassy but mournful on the inside, the film is a fairly overt expression of grief — one that’s even more acute coming out just a year after 9/11.—
Tim Grierson,
Vulture,
24 Jan. 2025
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Sunday's mournful cowboy funeral is attended only by his family, the bunkhouse crew, and three close friends.—
Ana Rocío Álvarez Bríñez,
The Indianapolis Star,
18 Dec. 2024
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
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Their son Donny attended to all of the funeral arrangements with the help of his wife Jan, a nurse, and his daughters Andrea and Alicia.—
Phil Potempa,
Chicago Tribune,
8 Feb. 2025
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The funeral mass in Quincy’s Sacred Heart Church will be at 11 a.m. on Saturday.—
Rick Sobey,
Boston Herald,
31 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Boldt hired 300 workers to construct the six-story, 120-room castle outfitted with a drawbridge and tower, but when Louise died suddenly in 1904, the heartbroken Boldt halted construction and never returned to the island.—
Gulnaz Khan,
AFAR Media,
13 Feb. 2025
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There are similar Valentine’s Day opportunities geared toward the heartbroken.—
Megan Forrester,
ABC News,
12 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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This summer saw a bitter dispute between the U.S. and China over allegations surrounding doping by Chinese swimmers before the 2021 Tokyo Olympics and suggestions from the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) that WADA had not been strong enough in enforcing its rules.—
Charlie Eccleshare,
The Athletic,
15 Feb. 2025
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Their whirlwind political alliance, however, quickly frayed and deteriorated into a bitter feud in an Asian democracy that has long been hamstrung by clashing political clans.—
arkansasonline.com,
arkansasonline.com,
13 Feb. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near plaintive
Cite this Entry
“Plaintive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plaintive. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.
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