nos·tal·gic
nä-ˈstal-jik
nə-
also nȯ-,
nō-;
nə-ˈstäl-
: feeling or inspiring nostalgia: such as
a
: longing for or thinking fondly of a past time or condition
As we drove through the French countryside, I couldn't help being not just nostalgic, but wistful, about how simple wine was 25 years ago.—Matt Kramer
The protest mostly featured the usual suspects—anti-capitalists, environmentalists, union types chanting "Solidarity," and aging hippies nostalgic for their youth.—Margaret Wente
b
: evocative of a longed-for past time or condition
He loved good stories, especially nostalgic ones from his boyhood, and relished the telling.—Peter Schworm
He soon parlayed his nostalgic pictures into a business that would eventually include writing, antique collecting, museum operations, and reproduction-furniture making.—David K. Leff
nostalgically
adverb
thinking nostalgically of the summers they spent together
looking back nostalgically on happier times
plural nostalgics
: someone who longs for a past time or condition : a person given to nostalgia
There are nostalgics on both sides who felt better with a predictably snarling standoff than with the uncertain paths now opening.—Flora Lewis
Eventually it would become an empty shell, a refuge for nostalgics unable to accept the challenge facing all organizations in a changing world; adapt or perish.—John L. H. Keep
Cite this Entry
“Nostalgic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nostalgic. Accessed 8 Aug. 2026.
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