plaintive

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plaintive

/ˈpleɪntɪv/

Where it comes from

From Middle English pleintif, plentyff, from Old French pleintif (“aggrieved, lamenting”) (whence modern French plaintif), from plainte (“lament, complaint”); see plaint. Doublet of plaintiff.

adjective more plaintive · most plaintive

Sounding sorrowful, mournful or melancholic. a typically plaintive song from Radiohead
Similar: miserable, unhappy, cheerless, comfortless, bleak, dark, morose, depressing, desolate, dire, disconsolate, dismal

Translations

Every language

adj Sorrowful, mournful or melancholic

Español	morriñoso, melancólico, triste, nostálgico, lastimero, quejumbroso
Deutsch	traurig, wehleidig, klagend, Klage-
Italiano	querulo
Русский	го́рестный górestnyj

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MLA

"plaintive." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/plaintive. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

plaintive. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/plaintive

Chicago

"plaintive." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/plaintive.

BibTeX

@misc{plaintive_2026,
  title = {plaintive},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/plaintive},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}