Meaning & use
wistfully
In a way that shows gentle sadness or longing, especially for something in the past that cannot return.
See it in a sentence
She looked wistfully at the old photographs of her childhood home.
He spoke wistfully about the summers he spent fishing with his grandfather.
A note on using this word
Wistfully suggests a quiet, gentle sadness mixed with fond memory, softer in tone than words like mournfully.
Words with a similar meaning
longinglynostalgically
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “wistfully”, then compare your use with the examples above.
Your draft stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.