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plaintive

plain·tive
P p

Transcription

    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • UK Pronunciation
    • UK IPA
    • [pleyn-tiv]
    • /ˈpleɪn tɪv/
    • /ˈpleɪn.tɪv/
    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • [pleyn-tiv]
    • /ˈpleɪn tɪv/

Definitions of plaintive word

  • adjective plaintive expressing sorrow or melancholy; mournful: a plaintive melody. 1
  • adjective plaintive lamenting 1
  • adjective plaintive A plaintive sound or voice sounds sad. 0
  • adjective plaintive expressing melancholy; mournful 0
  • adjective plaintive expressing sorrow or melancholy; mournful; sad 0
See all 5 definitions of plaintive

Information block about the term

Origin of plaintive

First appearance:

before 1350
One of the 20% oldest English words
1350-1400; plaint + -ive; replacing Middle English plaintif < Middle French

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Plaintive

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
Full grammatical hierarchy of Plaintive

plaintive popularity

A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 71% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.
This word is included in each student's vocabulary. Most likely there is at least one movie with this word in the title.

plaintive usage trend in Literature

This diagram is provided by Google Ngram Viewer

Synonyms for plaintive

adj plaintive

  • anguished — Anguished means showing or feeling great mental suffering or physical pain.
  • bearish — On the stock market, if there is a bearish mood, prices are expected to fall. Compare bullish.
  • cast down — If someone is cast down by something, they are sad or worried because of it.
  • commiserable — worthy of commiseration; pitiable
  • dissatisfied — not satisfied or pleased; discontented.

adjective plaintive

  • dirgeful — Having the qualities of a dirge; moaning.
  • dolorific — Of or relating to pain.
  • elegiac — (especially of a work of art) having a mournful quality.
  • kvetching — Present participle of kvetch.
  • lamenting — to feel or express sorrow or regret for: to lament his absence.

adverb plaintive

  • elegiacally — In the manner of an elegy, or funeral poem.
  • lamentingly — to feel or express sorrow or regret for: to lament his absence.
  • melancholically — disposed to or affected with melancholy; gloomy.
All 33 Synonyms of plaintive

Top questions with plaintive

  • what does plaintive mean?
  • what is the meaning of plaintive?
  • what is plaintive?

Related words

  • plaintiff

    a person who brings suit in a court (opposed to defendant).

  • doloroso

    plaintive, as if expressing sorrow (used as a musical direction).

  • elegy

    A poem of serious reflection, typically a lament for the dead.

  • mourning dove

    variety of pigeon

  • plangent

    resounding loudly, especially with a plaintive sound, as a bell.

  • soul music

    a fervent type of popular music developed in the late 1950s by black Americans as a secularized form of gospel music, with rhythm-and-blues influences, and distinctive for its earthy expressiveness, variously plaintive or raucous vocals, and often passionate romanticism or sensuality.
All related words to plaintive

See also

Matching words

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