as in nostalgic
showing or evoking a sad longing for an often idealized past
She felt wistful looking through her college yearbook, remembering old friends she had not seen in decades.
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Recent Examples of wistful
Whatever your take on Forrest Gump, Robert Zemeckis’s wistful drama is not unlike a lot of his films, offering big crowd-pleasing moments alongside some obvious, naïve commentary.
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Will Leitch, Vulture, 3 Mar. 2025
Gone are the long, wistful and moody songs of the past.
—Britt Julious, Chicago Tribune, 23 Feb. 2025
Along with the visions of carpaccio dancing through my head, my enchanting spa day and thrilling hours on the mountain have occupied wistful daydreams since my journey to Colorado.
—Lydia Price, Travel + Leisure, 22 Feb. 2025
Faithful stares at her younger image with a hint of wistful pride.
—Debra Rae Cohen, Rolling Stone, 10 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for wistful
Will Leitch, Vulture, 3 Mar. 2025
Gone are the long, wistful and moody songs of the past.
—Britt Julious, Chicago Tribune, 23 Feb. 2025
Along with the visions of carpaccio dancing through my head, my enchanting spa day and thrilling hours on the mountain have occupied wistful daydreams since my journey to Colorado.
—Lydia Price, Travel + Leisure, 22 Feb. 2025
Faithful stares at her younger image with a hint of wistful pride.
—Debra Rae Cohen, Rolling Stone, 10 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for wistful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wistful
Adjective
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Jenner paired them with black leggings, a grey sweatshirt, and a nostalgic red nylon jacket.—
Teresa Romero Martínez,
Glamour,
30 Mar. 2025
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In the wake of a declining United States economy, nostalgic consumer behaviors are emerging as shoppers crave the feeling of security, stability and luxury.—
Elizabeth Grace Coyne,
Forbes.com,
30 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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But in his depiction of life off the grid, digging holes and pulling weeds looks downright dreamy.—
Scottie Andrew,
CNN Money,
30 Mar. 2025
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Allen steps into the spotlight as the dreamy romantic lead of Netflix's new movie.—
Maureen Lee Lenker,
EW.com,
29 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Read's lawyers pointed repeatedly to sloppy policing, including leaving the scene unsecured for hours and not searching the house.—
Rachel Treisman,
NPR,
28 Mar. 2025
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Naive and sloppy behavior by top Trump aides could have endangered US pilots.—
CNN.com Wire Service,
Mercury News,
27 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Wistful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wistful. Accessed 4 Apr. 2025.
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