Plaintive
/ˈpleɪntɪv/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
adjSounding sorrowful, mournful or melancholic.
Sentence Examples
The plaintive melody broke her heart.
He accompanies his songs with plaintive chords played on a poor-quality zither.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The orphaned child let out a ____ whimper that touched everyone's heart.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The child's ____ cry echoed through the empty house as she searched for her missing toy.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English pleintif, plentyff, from Old French pleintif (“aggrieved, lamenting”) (whence modern French plaintif), from plainte (“lament, complaint”); see plaint. Doublet of plaintiff.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"When my wife and I heard a plaintive whinny from our laundry room the other day, we knew that our old dryer had cycled its last load."
— 2026 January 16, Danny Heitman, “An empty nester’s ode to the cycles of laundry – and life”, in The Christian Science Monitor:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The orphaned child let out a ____ whimper that touched everyone's heart.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The child's ____ cry echoed through the empty house as she searched for her missing toy.