wistful
adjective /ˈwɪstfl/
/ˈwɪstfl/
- thinking sadly about something that you would like to have, especially something in the past that you can no longer have
- a wistful smile
- There was something rather wistful about the sad little tune.
Oxford Collocations DictionaryWistful is used with these nouns:- expression
- longing
- nostalgia
- …
Word Originearly 17th cent.: apparently from obsolete wistly ‘intently’, influenced by wishful.