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
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
Testing the human animal’s tolerance for plaintive fiddles, wheezy bagpipes, Peter Coyote and the whispery recitations of diary entries, “The American Revolution” is the most Ken Burns-y of Ken Burns series.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 13, 2025
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
A cock was crowing, a drawn-out, plaintive sound that seemed very close close by.
From "Purple Hibiscus" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Vocabulary lists containing plaintive
Grade 11, List 1
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Things Fall Apart
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Night
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