adjective
wistful
WIHST-fuhl
adjective
1
Filled with a gentle sadness or longing, especially for something in the past.
"She gave a wistful smile as she looked through the old photographs."
"He spoke in a wistful tone about his childhood home."
How to Use Wistful
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA quiet, sad kind of longing, often for something now gone.
Common mistake
Don't confuse with wishful — wistful is about sad longing or nostalgia, wishful is about hopeful (often unrealistic) desire.
Easily confused with
Common pairings
a wistful smile
a wistful sigh
wistful memories
Word Forms
more wistful comparative, most wistful superlative
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She gave a _____ smile as she looked through the old photographs.
Etymology
Probably built from the older word whist ("silent") plus -ful, though its meaning was shaped over time by association with "wishful."