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View synonyms for

pensive

[ pen-siv ]

adjective

  1. dreamily or wistfully thoughtful:

    a pensive mood.

    Antonyms:

  2. expressing or revealing thoughtfulness, usually marked by some sadness:

    a pensive adagio.



pensive

/ ˈɛԲɪ /

adjective

  1. deeply or seriously thoughtful, often with a tinge of sadness
  2. expressing or suggesting pensiveness
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Derived Forms

  • ˈԲԱ, noun
  • ˈԲ, adverb
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Other Word Forms

  • s· adverb
  • s·Ա noun
  • v·s adjective
  • over·s· adverb
  • over·s·Ա noun
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Word History and Origins

Origin of pensive1

First recorded in 1325–75; from French (feminine); replacing Middle English pensif, from Middle French (masculine), from pens(er) “to think” (from Latin ŧԲ “to consider, weigh,” literally, “to hang repeatedly,” from pendere “to cause to hang, consider, weigh”) + -if -ive
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Word History and Origins

Origin of pensive1

C14: from Old French pensif, from penser to think, from Latin Բ to consider; compare pension 1
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Synonym Study

Pensive , meditative , reflective suggest quiet modes of apparent or real thought. Pensive , the weakest of the three, suggests dreaminess or wistfulness, and may involve little or no thought to any purpose: a pensive, faraway look. Meditative involves thinking of certain facts or phenomena, perhaps in the religious sense of “contemplation,” without necessarily having a goal of complete understanding or of action: meditative but unjudicial. Reflective has a strong implication of orderly, perhaps analytic, processes of thought, usually with a definite goal of understanding: a careful and reflective critic.
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Frank, meanwhile, was quiet and pensive in his technical area.

From

For me, the posing feels classic and cool — things that are both so Winona Ryder — but it also has some sort of pensive weirdness to it, especially because she’s not looking at the camera.

From

“Retreat” is a film of few words and magnificent images, where the drama unfolds suggestively in hints and gestures, and in the pensive performances of Heiniger and Hottinger.

From

Meanwhile, a pensive Dubois appeared a little eager to get the media formalities out of the way.

From

The dog that appears in the movie is a Great Dane named Bing, who weighs 151 pounds and can look pensive on cue.

From

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