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
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
Anderson proves worthy of some knockout emotional moments, Jamie Lee Curtis shines as a feisty cocktail waitress, and Dave Bautista steals scenes as the show's pensive stage manager.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 24 May 2025
For a few seconds, save for a piano playing a few pensive notes, there was silence.
—Edwin Goei, Los Angeles Times, 16 May 2025
In the film, Johansson’s character, a lonely young woman, bonds with a pensive movie star played by Bill Murray in Tokyo.
—Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 14 May 2025
The pensive, modest filmmaker said that there was one common thread that flowed through all his work — family.
—Mike Barnes, HollywoodReporter, 13 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for pensive
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Brian Truitt, USA Today, 24 May 2025
For a few seconds, save for a piano playing a few pensive notes, there was silence.
—Edwin Goei, Los Angeles Times, 16 May 2025
In the film, Johansson’s character, a lonely young woman, bonds with a pensive movie star played by Bill Murray in Tokyo.
—Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 14 May 2025
The pensive, modest filmmaker said that there was one common thread that flowed through all his work — family.
—Mike Barnes, HollywoodReporter, 13 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for pensive
Cite this Entry
“Pensive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pensive. Accessed 4 Jun. 2025.
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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