Standard Lemma guide

plaintively

adv · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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  • CMU ARPABET: P L EY1 N T AY2 V L IY0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
  • CMU ARPABET 2: P L EY1 N AY2 V L IY0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adv

Meaning 1

In a plaintive manner.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adverb

Meaning 2

in a plaintive manner

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the last note of the song rang out plaintively

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Etymology tree English plaintive Middle English -ly English -ly English plaintively From plaintive + -ly.