Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word plaintive. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word plaintive, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say plaintive in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word plaintive you have here. The definition of the word plaintive will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition ofplaintive, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.