How to Use pensive in a Sentence

pensive

adjective
Definition of pensivenext
Synonyms for pensivenext
  • The child sat by himself, looking pensive.
  • On the way to his car after the game, Baarns was pensive.
    — Kurt Streeter, New York Times, 6 June 2018
  • There will be pensive looks out at the horizon, where the sharks are.
    — Jonas Shaffer, baltimoresun.com, 29 June 2017
  • The pensive Mr Müller, 64, rarely had the air of a man enjoying the limelight.
    — The Economist, 12 Apr. 2018
  • Levin is long and thin, with an oval face, and a pensive manner.
    — Christopher Borrelli, chicagotribune.com, 7 June 2019
  • The guys look pensive as the producers roll out clips of the wives fighting.
    — Scott D. Pierce, The Salt Lake Tribune, 10 Oct. 2021
  • On the sideline, Raiders coach Brooks Bollinger was pensive.
    — Andy Greder, Twin Cities, 3 June 2017
  • The statue has his arms folded and one hand on his chin in a pensive mood.
    — James Weber, The Enquirer, 6 May 2023
  • In the black and white photo, Charles and Harry beam down at an awake and very pensive Archie.
    — Katherine J Igoe, Marie Claire, 14 Nov. 2019
  • But, in the days that followed, Quichotte was pensive and sad.
    — Salman Rushdie, The New Yorker, 22 July 2019
  • Buttigieg said ending with a pensive close-up on the mayor’s face.
    — NBC News, 6 Nov. 2019
  • With its dreamlike blues and grays, Sell By looks more pensive than gloomy.
    — Beandrea July, The Hollywood Reporter, 22 July 2019
  • Here, Doyle’s prose reads like Lydia Davis at her most arch and pensive.
    — Annie Berke, Washington Post, 28 Aug. 2023
  • At least the postgame locker room, where his smart and pensive answers the past month have brought perspective and calm to the team.
    — Shawn Windsor, Detroit Free Press, 25 Feb. 2018
  • But that too turns pensive, and the clock returns to business with the opening music.
    — New York Times, 22 Apr. 2020
  • The former made for a neat closure; the latter provides a more open, pensive end.
    — Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 11 Oct. 2019
  • Is there any more to Zach than what meets the eye, or rather, the dramatic B-roll footage of him being pensive?
    — Olivia Evans, Women's Health, 13 Mar. 2023
  • Her face is indeed long and pensive, and her smoker’s voice is as dry as her wit.
    — E. Alex Jung, Vulture, 1 Mar. 2021
  • In Thompson’s Life Goes On, two pensive young boys sit on stone steps that once led to a hillside home.
    — Scott Cantrell, Dallas News, 3 June 2021
  • The actor sported a pensive expression while filming scenes for 1998's The Man in the Iron Mask.
    — Grace Gavilanes, Peoplemag, 11 Nov. 2022
  • Between them stands a woman in a pensive pose, and on the left side of the trio is a smaller standing figure.
    — Teju Cole, New York Times, 12 Sep. 2023
  • And not just about Mr. Levin’s pensive mood in Pontiac.
    — Stephen Humphries, The Christian Science Monitor, 22 July 2022
  • Something about the scale of the imagery used in his education did not sit well with the pensive teen.
    — Keyaira Boone, Essence, 20 Mar. 2022
  • The visuals, directed by Alexandre Moors, match the pensive lyrics of the track.
    — Jeff Nelson, PEOPLE.com, 6 Sep. 2019
  • Eakins might have pushed his look to an extreme, so some scholars have seen the figure as sad, pensive, and spent.
    — Brian T. Allen, National Review, 12 June 2021
  • In the back of the pickup truck, perched on a couch with four of his grandsons, Chuck Morgan looked a bit pensive Saturday.
    — Evan Grant, Dallas News, 14 Aug. 2021
  • Watching Calvo arrange the extras in the pit, Smit looked pensive and sad.
    — New York Times, 13 Dec. 2021
  • Most of the painting, except for the King’s pensive face and hands, are detailed in an array of mottled reds and pinks.
    — Karen K. Ho, ARTnews.com, 3 Sep. 2019
  • His last few releases have been somber and pensive, so this is a night shift in sound and energy.
    — Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 9 Aug. 2024
  • The clips featured shots of Christine wiping tears and looking pensive before transitioning to happy photos of her wedding to David.
    — Esther Kang, Peoplemag, 9 Sep. 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pensive.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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