plaintive

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Faith and modesty were qualities in all Heynis’s performances, delivered in a plaintive and haunting tone that is not quite like any other.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 2, 2026

As Rangers people run around with their hair on fire, those words appear more plaintive than ever.

From BBC • Nov. 1, 2024

I remember one particularly plaintive voice on the phone: “Steven, why are you lying to me? What have I done wrong?”

From Slate • Oct. 29, 2024

Canadian singer-songwriter Jane Siberry co-wrote and recorded the plaintive closing ballad “It Can’t Rain All the Time,” titled after a line Draven says in the film.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 16, 2024

Leo couldn’t understand the words, but the song was plaintive and bittersweet, as if she were describing a home she could never return to.

From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan