plangent

adjective

ˈplan-jənt How to pronounce plangent (audio)
Definition of plangentnext
1
as in mournful
expressing or suggesting mourning a plangent, haunting song about a long-ago love

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2
as in loud
marked by a high volume of sound plangent organ music filled the church

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in ringing
marked by conspicuously full and rich sounds or tones the strong, plangent tones of a Louis Armstrong trumpet solo

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of plangent Musically, the song is indistinguishable from most modern country — a plangent guitar melody leading the way, followed by the sinister percussive drop of a trap beat. — Jon Caramanica, New York Times, 21 May 2025 The composer Ralph Vaughan Williams, that warhorse of English traditionalism, is mentioned six times, and his plangent music—invoking a lost, idyllic England; a greener, more pleasant land—could easily be the novel’s soundtrack. — Charles McGrath, The Atlantic, 8 Oct. 2024 Indeed the music, with its banging, techno-style beats looped against plangent piano, analogizes Jamal’s predicament rather perfectly. — Jessica Kiang, Variety, 25 Mar. 2023 That deft level of craft is maintained throughout, while the aching musical bed by contemporary composer Nico Muhly adds just the right tone of plangent despair tinged with hope. — Leslie Felperin, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019 See All Example Sentences for plangent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for plangent
  1. mournful
  2. loud
  3. ringing
  4. weeping
  5. deafening
  6. round
  7. funeral
  8. shrill
Adjective
  • Since his siblings were crying with the same mournful expression, clinging to their father’s corpse, Shoichiro willed himself to cry too, and the tears came immediately.
    — Cynthia Zarin, Harpers Magazine, 4 Aug. 2026
  • But there’s something mournful, something searching about his statement, too.
    — Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 24 July 2026
Definition of mournful
Adjective
  • They are literally made loud enough to rally troops from a long distance.
    — Brian Moylan, Vulture, 19 Aug. 2026
  • The actual blast of the ram’s horn is loud, but not loud enough to rouse me from my stress blackout.
    — Risa Polansky Shiman, Sun Sentinel, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of loud
Adjective
  • The quote sounded more like a statement of facts than a ringing endorsement.
    — Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 19 Aug. 2026
  • The ringing endorsement reinforces Nvidia’s dominance in AI infrastructure even as some big tech companies roll out their own custom chips.
    — Jeff Marks, CNBC, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of ringing
Adjective
  • And every day, across from them, outside the clinic, about to enter or just leaving, there were women hugging each other and weeping.
    — David Mamet, National Review, 11 Aug. 2022
  • The show manages to stay on the brink — always laughing, never quite weeping — for its entire length.
    — Helen Shaw, Vulture, 8 Dec. 2021
Definition of weeping
Adjective
  • Before the researchers could start sampling it, though, a deafening roar suddenly filled the tunnel.
    — James Dinneen, New Yorker, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Dixon said other issues to be considered are the deafening roar of traffic passing under the footbridge on I-91 and how to soften it.
    — Kenneth R. Gosselin, Hartford Courant, 26 July 2026
Definition of deafening
Adjective
  • The asymmetry can help visually lengthen and balance a round face.
    — Laura Solla, Vogue, 24 Aug. 2026
  • There are many round, massive, geologically interesting objects in our solar system that, viewed in isolation, look and act somewhat like planets.
    — Mike Brown, Scientific American, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of round
Adjective
  • Another loved one, Kelsi Yun, has organized a GoFundMe page to help cover funeral costs and support Reagan’s surviving family.
    — Sam Gillette, PEOPLE, 18 Aug. 2026
  • There is a funeral procession in the morning and a wedding in the afternoon.
    — Terry Gross, NPR, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of funeral
Adjective
  • Amid the rumblings of construction at nearby David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium, the sound of a shrill whistle and chopping feet at the nearby Murfin Family Practice Fields signaled one thing.
    — Christian Marshall, Kansas City Star, 5 Aug. 2026
  • That trademark indecision of summer takes root in her words and spreads through the music until her vocals diverge in the chorus, peeling like a clementine’s skin as one shrill line scales upward and the other remains monotone.
    — Hattie Lindert, Pitchfork, 21 July 2026
Definition of shrill

Browse Nearby Words

planets
plangent
planing
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Cite this Entry

“Plangent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plangent. Accessed 27 Aug. 2026.

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