wistfulness

/ˈwɪstflnəs/ (bre, ipa) · [wˈɪstfəlnəs] /ˈwɪstflnəs/ (ame, ipa)

wistfulness — noun

1. a quiet sadness mixed with longing when you think about someone, something, or a

1.名詞C1
釋義

a quiet sadness mixed with longing when you think about someone, something, or a time you cannot have now.

例句

Wei looked at the old train station with sudden wistfulness.

collocation: with sudden wistfulness

When the cassette clicked, Adina smiled with wistfulness for her teens.

pattern: wistfulness for + time in life

同義詞
  • nostalgia

    warmer and more clearly tied to fond memories of the past

  • yearning

    stronger and more urgent; emphasises active desire

  • melancholy

    broader sadness that does not always involve longing

  • homesickness

    specifically missing home while you are away

文法句型

wistfulness about + noun

wistfulness for + noun

用法筆記

Usually uncountable. Often appears after 'with' or in patterns like 'a note of wistfulness' when a voice, smile, or memory shows gentle sadness rather than strong grief; unlike 'nostalgia', it does not need a warm memory.

常見錯誤

❌A wistfulness came to me when I saw the empty beach.
✅A feeling of wistfulness came over me when I saw the empty beach.
💡wistfulness is usually uncountable, so use 'a feeling of' if you want a countable frame.
❌The song made me nostalgic and wistfulness.
✅The song made me nostalgic and wistful.
💡after 'make + object', use the adjective 'wistful', not the noun 'wistfulness'.