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.
The plaintive observation, ascribed to the early Victorian British Prime Minister Viscount Melbourne about the acerbically self-confident historian Thomas Babington Macaulay, remains the motto of the thoughtfully skeptical man through the ages.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 30, 2026
Gladiator II and Hamnet star Mescal has a huge social media fanbase and mentioned last December he was loving a song called Evelyn, a plaintive folk ballad from Michael's second album Thin White Road.
From BBC • Jan. 22, 2026
The English horn issued a plaintive, simple melody, as if trying to evoke older memories of a nearly forgotten time.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 22, 2025
The resulting lush and exotic soundscape, featuring plaintive pan flute and sprinkled with birdsong, turned out to be perfect for the game’s spooktastic forest levels.
From New York Times • Nov. 19, 2024
A jockey in the pack heard a deep, plaintive sound rise up over the shouts from the crowd.
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
Vocabulary lists containing plaintive
Grade 11, List 1
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Things Fall Apart
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Night
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