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# wistfully

adverb (wistfully)

«wistfully» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. In a sad, longing way, as when you wish for something you cannot have or something that is gone. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/wistfully/#m1)
2. In a quietly thoughtful, dreamy way, with a little sadness. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/wistfully/#m2)

### In the lessons

Stories use «wistfully» to show a feeling without saying it outright: a character who looks wistfully at a shop window wants the toy but cannot buy it. In The Wind in the Willows the Mole and the Rat feel the pull of home and of far-off lands, and the Rat gazes wistfully south after meeting the Sea Rat. Often with «look», «gaze», «smile», «sigh», «say». A good word for creative writing to show longing.

### Examples

- Tom looked wistfully at the bikes in the shop window. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/wistfully/#x1)
- The old sailor smiled wistfully as he talked about the sea. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/wistfully/#x2)
- «I wish summer could last forever,» she said wistfully. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/wistfully/#x3)
- The puppy gazed wistfully at the biscuit on the table. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/wistfully/#x4)
- Gran wistfully remembered her school days. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/wistfully/#x5)
- The Rat stared wistfully south, where the swallows had flown. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/wistfully/#x6)
- He stood beneath the tree looking long and wistfully at the peacock's bright feathers. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/wistfully/#x7)

### Note

Adverb from the adjective «wistful» + «-ly». Spelled with one l in «wist-» and double l at the end: «wistfully». Not the same as «wishful» (based on wishing, like «wishful thinking»), though close.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «wistfully» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/wistfully/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«wistfully» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/wistfully.html) on Mova free.