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.

As he sings on “Come Back,” the album’s plaintive opener, “I had a really strange reaction, delayed I think by simple fear, if I don’t listen I can’t hear.”

From Salon • May 15, 2026

Ms. Burgess’s light soprano and plaintive vibrato suggest that Thorn Rose is not entirely convinced that awakening is a good idea, but she goes along with it.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 24, 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

Even though the film was shot in France, not Mexico, it has some authentic touches: The movie opens with the plaintive, recorded appeals of a young girl soliciting old appliances and other scrap metal.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 1, 2025

This endless conversation, the tone plaintive but oddly cheerful, flew around and around in a circle.

From "A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khaled Hosseini