wistful

adjective

wist·ful ˈwist-fəl

Synonyms of wistful next

: full of yearning or desire tinged with melancholy

also : inspiring such yearning

a wistful memoir

: musingly sad : pensive

a wistful glance

wistfully

ˈwist-fə-lē

adverb

wistfulness noun

Did you know?

Wistful Has a Wishful History

We see you there, dear reader, gazing silently up at the moon, heart aching to know the history of wistful, as if it could be divined on the lunar surface. And we’d like to ease your melancholy by telling you that the knowledge you seek—nay, pine for—is closer at hand. But the etymology of wistful, while intriguing, is not entirely clear. It’s thought that the word is a combination of wistly, a now-obsolete word meaning “intently” and, perhaps, the similar-sounding wishful. Wistly, in turn, may have come from whistly, an old term meaning “silently” or “quietly.” What’s more certain is that our modern wistful is a great word to describe someone full of pensive yearning, or something inspiring such yearning.

Examples of wistful in a Sentence

She was wistful for a moment, then asked, “Do you remember the old playground?”. He had a wistful look on his face.

Recent Examples on the Web

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Casual spectators come out with sketches of a wealth of musical traditions peppering Puerto Rico’s past and present, while those in the know enjoy both wistful songwriting and a maze of references to beloved music, food, and slang. —

Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 13 Jan. 2025 Read the full Gemini Daily Horoscope Cancer (June 22 - July 22) Feeling wistful? —

USA TODAY, 10 Jan. 2025 His wife becomes the damsel to rescue, and the once spiky Helly, who surprised Mark’s innie with a kiss last season, falls into place as her wistful romantic rival. —

Inkoo Kang, The New Yorker, 10 Jan. 2025 In contrast, this Nosferatu begins and ends with Ellen onscreen making decisions — impulsive and shortsighted, purposeful and wistful — about her own life. —

Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 24 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for wistful