6 uses
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Definition
showing longing or unfulfilled desire
- He hitched out of his chair, made coffee, gave Carol a cup, and talked on, half defiant and half apologetic, half wistful for friendliness and half amused by her surprise at the discovery that there was a proletarian philosophy.Chapter 10 (67% in)
- A breeze which had crossed a thousand miles of wheat-lands bellied her taffeta skirt in a line so graceful, so full of animation and moving beauty, that the heart of a chance watcher on the lower road tightened to wistfulness over her quality of suspended freedom.Chapter 1 (9% in)
- He picked up a handful of pop-corn, let it run through his fingers, looked at her wistfully.Chapter 16 (81% in)
- —fainter, more wistful, gone.Chapter 19 (66% in)
- She hated herself and the town's indifferent cruelty when she saw Bea's radiant devotion to both babies alike; when she saw Miles staring at them wistfully.Chapter 20 (75% in)
- It may have been the fact that Mrs. Swiftwaite's friend remained to Kennicott an ill-told rumor, it may have been Carol's voice, wistful in the pallid evening as she sang to Hugh, it may have been natural and commendable virtue, but certainly he was positive: "Nope.Chapter 25 (72% in)
There are no more uses of "wistful" in Main Street.
Typical Usage
(best examples)