First Known Use: 14th century
Dictionary
pensive
adjective pen·sive \ˈpen(t)-siv\
: quietly sad or thoughtful
Full Definition of PENSIVE
1
: musingly or dreamily thoughtful
2
: suggestive of sad thoughtfulness
— pen·sive·ly adverb
— pen·sive·ness noun
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Examples of PENSIVE
- … the combination of national crisis and imminent electoral victory creates an atmosphere at once pensive and elated. —Yossi Klein Halevi, New Republic, 25 Dec. 2000
- We take in the synchronized swimming of sardines and the pensive patrol of a leopard shark. —Roger Rosenblatt, Time, 5 Oct. 1998
- … did not seem depressed so much as pensive, and within a few minutes he was talking eagerly—in fact, unstoppably—about his favorite subject: school. —James Traub, New Yorker, 19 Dec. 1994
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Origin of PENSIVE
Middle English pensif, from Anglo-French, from penser to think, from Latin pensare to ponder, frequentative of pendere to weigh — more at pendant
Related to PENSIVE
- Synonyms
- broody, cogitative, meditative, melancholy, musing, contemplative, reflective, ruminant, ruminative, thoughtful
- Antonyms
- unreflective
PENSIVE Defined for Kids
pensive
adjective pen·sive \ˈpen-siv\
Definition of PENSIVE for Kids
: lost in serious or sad thought <a pensive mood>
— pen·sive·ly adverb
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