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pen·sive (p n s v)adj.1. Deeply, often wistfully or dreamily thoughtful. 2. Suggestive or expressive of melancholy thoughtfulness.
[Middle English pensif, from Old French, from penser, to think, from Latin p ns re, frequentative of pendere, to weigh; see (s)pen- in Indo-European roots.]
pen sive·ly adv. pen sive·ness n. Synonyms: pensive, contemplative, reflective, meditative, thoughtful These adjectives mean characterized by or disposed to thought, especially serious or deep thought. Pensive often connotes a wistful, dreamy, or sad quality: "while pensive poets painful vigils keep" (Alexander Pope). Contemplative implies slow directed consideration, often with conscious intent of achieving better understanding or spiritual or aesthetic enrichment: "The Contemplative Atheist is rare ... And yet they seem to be more than they are" (Francis Bacon). Reflective suggests careful analytical deliberation, as in reappraising past experience: "Cromwell was of the active, not the reflective temper" (John Morley). Meditative implies earnest sustained thought: The scholar was reticent, aloof, and meditative. Thoughtful can refer to absorption in thought or to the habit of reflection and circumspection: Thoughtful voters carefully considered the candidates. |
ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms | Adv. | 1. | pensively - in a pensive manner; "pensively he stared at the painting" |
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