plaintive C2+ Topic:Emotions & Feelings US /ˈpleɪntɪv/ UK /ˈpleɪntɪv/ See IPA manual Meanings 1 adj sounding sad and mournful A plaintive melody drifted from the lonely violinist. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 adj · sounding sad and mournful mournfulsorrowfulmelancholydolefulwistfulsadlugubriouspiteous ↔ Opposites cheerfuljoyfuljubilant Word family Forms plaintivelyplaintiveness Derived forms plaintivelyplaintiveness Related forms plaintplaintiffcomplaint Etymology AI details From Old French plaintif ('lamenting, complaining'), from plainte ('lamentation'), from Latin planctus, from plangere ('to beat, lament'). plaintif Old French planctus Latin plangere Latin View etymology graph -> Topics Emotions & Feelings Word Formation & Derivatives External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # plaintive **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** adj **IPA (US):** /ˈpleɪntɪv/ **IPA (UK):** /ˈpleɪntɪv/ ## Meanings 1. sounding sad and mournful ## Examples - A plaintive melody drifted from the lonely violinist. ## Synonyms - mournful - sorrowful - melancholy - doleful - wistful - sad - lugubrious - piteous ## Antonyms - cheerful - joyful - jubilant ## Derived Forms - plaintively - plaintiveness ## Related Forms - plaint - plaintiff - complaint ## Roots and Affixes - Root: plaintif - Root: planctus - Root: plangere ## Etymology From Old French plaintif ('lamenting, complaining'), from plainte ('lamentation'), from Latin planctus, from plangere ('to beat, lament'). ## AI Etymology Plaintive is from Old French plaintif ('lamenting, complaining'), from plainte ('lamentation'), from Latin planctus, from plangere ('to beat, lament'). Important recorded forms include plaintif (Old French), planctus (Latin), and plangere (Latin). The modern sense follows that older lexical line closely. In current use it covers sounding sad and mournful. The wider family includes derived forms such as plaintively and plaintiveness and related words such as plaint, plaintiff, and complaint. ## Topics - Emotions & Feelings - Word Formation & Derivatives markdown