pensive
adjective
pen·sive
ˈpen(t)-siv 
1
: musingly or dreamily thoughtful
a pensive young poet
2
: suggestive of sad thoughtfulness
her face had the pensive mournfulness of a seraph in an old sad painting—
Herman Wouk
Herman Wouk
pensively
adverb
pensiveness
noun
Synonyms
Examples of pensive in a Sentence
… 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
The child sat by himself, looking pensive.
rainy days often put her in a pensive mood
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
The child sat by himself, looking pensive.
rainy days often put her in a pensive mood
Recent Examples on the Web
The album then descends into a mix of West Coast bops and pensive soulful cuts, tapping Mustard yet again and a slew of local west coast artists that people may not have been familiar with.
—Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 22 Nov. 2024
There have been city symphonies in cinema before, but Kapadia’s film is altogether more pensive and intimate.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 15 Nov. 2024
TVs broadcast some of his career's vital moments as people waited in line amid pensive cello music.
—Erin Couch, The Enquirer, 10 Nov. 2024
Where once there was stern, pensive faces, now there were smiles, heads tilted back.
—Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 4 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for pensive 
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Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 22 Nov. 2024
There have been city symphonies in cinema before, but Kapadia’s film is altogether more pensive and intimate.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 15 Nov. 2024
TVs broadcast some of his career's vital moments as people waited in line amid pensive cello music.
—Erin Couch, The Enquirer, 10 Nov. 2024
Where once there was stern, pensive faces, now there were smiles, heads tilted back.
—Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 4 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for pensive
Dictionary Entries Near pensive
Cite this Entry
“Pensive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pensive. Accessed 29 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
pensive
adjective
pen·sive
ˈpen(t)-siv
1
: dreamily thoughtful
2
: suggestive of sad thoughtfulness
pensively
adverb
pensiveness
noun
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