First Known Use: 1714
Dictionary
wistful
adjective wist·ful \ˈwist-fəl\
: having or showing sad thoughts and feelings about something that you want to have or do and especially about something that made you happy in the past
Full Definition of WISTFUL
1
: full of yearning or desire tinged with melancholy; also : inspiring such yearning <a wistful memoir>
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Origin of WISTFUL
blend of wishful and obsolete English wistly intently
Rhymes with WISTFUL
WISTFULNESS Defined for Kids
wistful
adjective wist·ful \ˈwist-fəl\
Definition of WISTFUL for Kids
: feeling or showing a quiet longing especially for something in the past
— wist·ful·ly \-fə-lē\ adverb <There had been a time, he remembered it wistfully, when things had been quite different … — Robert Lawson, Rabbit Hill>
— wist·ful·ness noun
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