plaintive
/ˈpleɪntɪv/adjective
plaintive is spelled P-L-A-I-N-T-I-V-E: 9 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 55,433rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, plaintive means “Sounding sorrowful, mournful or melancholic” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in plaintive?
| Letters | 9: P-L-A-I-N-T-I-V-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 3 million words; the 55,433rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is plaintive?
Plaintive appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 55,433rd most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce plaintive?
- /ˈpleɪntɪv/
Plaintive has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-plaintive.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of plaintive
- more plaintive comparative
- most plaintive superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does plaintive mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Sounding sorrowful, mournful or melancholic.
a typically plaintive song from Radiohead
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Plaintive in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense Sorrowful, mournful or melancholic:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | traurig, wehleidig, klagend, Klage- |
| Spanish | morriñoso, melancólico, triste, nostálgico, lastimero, quejumbroso |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does plaintive come from?
From Middle English pleintif, plentyff, from Old French pleintif (“aggrieved, lamenting”) (whence modern French plaintif), from plainte (“lament, complaint”); see plaint. Doublet of plaintiff.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).