| 单词 | plaintive |
| 释义 | plaintive (once / 1021 pages) adj Plaintive is an adjective for describing someone or something with a pleading, sorrowful, desperate tone. If you have ever heard the plaintive howl of a wolf, then you know what we are getting at here. A plaint, as in complaint, is an expression of sorrow or grief. This word has also been bent a little at the ends to become plaintiff, or complainant—the sufferer—in a lawsuit. So, whether you are hearing a plaintive tone in a courtroom, at a funeral, or in the wild (as in an animal's plaintive howl), you can be assured that someone or something desires something desperately. WORD FAMILYplaintive: plaintively, plaintiveness, plaintivest USAGE EXAMPLESHe still sang, but only naats, plaintive poems that praise the Prophet Muhammad, set to faint orchestral accompaniment. Los Angeles Times(Dec 08, 2016) A cock was crowing, a drawn-out, plaintive sound that seemed very close close by. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Purple Hibiscus(2003) The men and women, usually seated, face forward with neutral expressions turned sober, plaintive even, by peculiar eyes shaped like warped peapods. Los Angeles Times(Nov 28, 2016) adj expressing sorrow Syn mournful sorrowful experiencing or marked by or expressing sorrow especially that associated with irreparable loss |
| 随便看 |
|
英语词典包含147318条英英释义在线翻译词条，基本涵盖了全部常用单词的英英翻译及用法，是英语学习的有利工具。