Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

plaintive

/ˈpleɪntɪv/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.46 in modern English

Syllables: plain-tive
IPA: /ˈpleɪntɪv/

14

Scrabble Score

9

Letters

2

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Sounding sorrowful, mournful or melancholic.

Example Sentences

"a typically plaintive song from Radiohead"
"I can see by your plaintive smile something is wrong, so spill it."
"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."

Etymology

From Middle English pleintif, plentyff, from Old French pleintif (“aggrieved, lamenting”) (whence modern French plaintif), from plainte (“lament, complaint”); see plaint. Doublet of plaintiff.

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Root: pleintif

Inflected Forms

more plaintive (comparative) most plaintive (superlative)

Derived Forms

plaintively plaintiveness unplaintive

Frequently Paired Words

plaint plaintiff

Synonyms

miserable unhappy cheerless comfortless bleak dark morose depressing desolate dire disconsolate dismal

Questions

How do you pronounce plaintive?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈpleɪntɪv/.
What does plaintive mean?: Sounding sorrowful, mournful or melancholic.
Where does plaintive come from?: It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce plaintive

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “plaintive”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈpleɪntɪv/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “plaintive”.
Repeat and practice — Say “plaintive” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.