pensive

CEFRC1

/ˈpɛn(t).sɪv/

adjective

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    adjective

    Quietly thoughtful, often slightly sad.

  2. 02

    adjective

    Extra detail

    Having the appearance of deep, often melancholic, thinking.

Examples

  • In the window sat a girl with a pensive face.

  • Why are you looking so pensive today?

At a glance

Sits at C1 on the CEFR scale

Senses
4
Parts of speech
1
Citations
2
Synonyms
5

Deep Dive

adjective

Extra meanings

  1. Looking thoughtful, especially from sadness.

  2. Engaged in, involving, or reflecting deep or serious thought.

More examples

In context

  • He sat in pensive silence, weighing his options carefully.

  • The author’s tone grows pensive in the final chapters.

  • That left him pensive.

Synonyms

Antonyms

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

The blank woman sat alone by the window, reflecting on past mistakes.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

adjective

From Middle English pensif, pensyfe, pencyve, from Old French pensif (“thoughtful”), from penser (“to think”) (from Latin pēnsō) + -if (English -ive).