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
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
Kathy becomes our narrator, her mile-a-minute Midwestern patter adding a layer of percussion to the rumbling engines and plaintive crooning of ’60s rock ‘n’ roll on the soundtrack.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 19, 2024
A plaintive voice came from behind me: “Eliezer, my son . . . bring me ... a little coffee . . .” I ran toward him.
From "Night" by Elie Wiesel
Vocabulary lists containing plaintive
Grade 11, List 1
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Things Fall Apart
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Night
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