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Pensive vs Wistful - What's the difference?

pensive | wistful |

As adjectives the difference between pensive and wistful

is that pensive is having the appearance of deep, often melancholic, thinking while wistful is full of yearning or longing.

pensive

English

Adjective

(en adjective)
  • Having the appearance of deep, often melancholic, thinking.
  • Looking thoughtful, especially from sadness.
  • * 1748 . David Hume. Enquiries concerning the human understanding and concerning the principles of moral. London: Oxford University Press, 1973. ยง 4.
    • Abstruse thought and profound researches I prohibit, and will severely punish, by the pensive melancholy which they introduce

    Derived terms

    * pensively * pensiveness

    Anagrams

    * ----

    wistful

    English

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • full of yearning or longing
    • His eyes grew wistful as he recalled his university days.
  • sad and thoughtful

    • Synonyms

    * (thoughtful sadness) (l)

    References