wistful

adjective

wist·​ful ˈwist-fəl How to pronounce wistful (audio)
1
: full of yearning or desire tinged with melancholy
also : inspiring such yearning
a wistful memoir
2
: musingly sad : pensive
a wistful glance
wistfully 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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Despite their sometimes wistful tone, Lee’s stories aren’t about making the wrong choice, but about being denied any meaningful choice at all. Camille Bromley, New York Times, 17 Feb. 2025 The wistful ballad-like track peaked at number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100. Ilana Kaplan, People.com, 8 Jan. 2025 Neither damning nor satiric, W. is oddly wistful, almost regretful — rare sentiments in a Stone film. Will Leitch, Vulture, 17 Feb. 2025 Neshat’s Marjan is a bit slippery, oscillating between kind and strict, biting and supportive, self-deprecating and wistful. Christian Lewis, Variety, 24 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for wistful

Word History

Etymology

blend of wishful and obsolete English wistly intently

First Known Use

1714, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of wistful was in 1714

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Cite this Entry

“Wistful.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wistful. Accessed 1 Apr. 2025.

Kids Definition

wistful

adjective
wist·​ful ˈwist-fəl How to pronounce wistful (audio)
: feeling or showing a timid desire
a wistful look on his face
wistfully adverb
wistfulness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on wistful

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