Gloss · Words · Wistful

wistful

ˈwɪstfəladjective

What does wistful mean?

Quietly sad and longing for something that is gone or out of reach.

Wistful, six ways

PlainQuietly sad and longing for something that is gone or out of reach.
ADHDSad, soft, wanting. Looking back. Can’t have it.
Gen ZThat soft sad smile when you scroll past old photos.
MetaphorA hand on a window, watching a train you are not on.
FormalHaving or showing a feeling of vague or regretful longing.
Like I’m 5Feeling a little sad because you wish you had something you can’t have. That’s wistful.

How to pronounce wistful

WIST-ful/ˈwɪstfəl/

Wistful in a sentence

He gave the old house a wistful look.
A wistful smile at an old photo.
The song is wistful rather than sad.

Synonyms for wistful

nostalgicLonging for the past in particular.
pensiveThoughtful, maybe sad.
melancholyDeeper and longer.

Melancholy vs wistful: Melancholy is a sadness that settles in. Wistful is a sadness with a wish in it. The difference, in plain English.

Where wistful comes from

English, from the 1600s. From the older wistly, intently, with the sound of wishful pulling it toward longing.

Good to know

Wistful is gentle and brief. It wants something it probably can’t have.

Wistful meaning, on a Gloss card: Quietly sad and longing for something that is gone or out of reach.

Save the card

Wistful on one card: what it means, how to say it, and a sentence. Keep it, or pin it for later.

Download the card Pin it

Coming to the App Store

Gloss explains every word like this, in the style you choose, and brings it back until it stays. A word of the day on your home screen, games that build your vocabulary, no ads. For iPhone, free for three days.

Words like wistful

poignant · euphoria · ambivalent · zenith · whimsical · evanescent · All 110 words

In: Words for feelings · Words that make you sound smart