/ Dictionary / Index P plaintive: Meaning and Definition of Find definitions for: plain•tive Pronunciation: (plān'tiv), [key] — adj. expressing sorrow or melancholy; mournful: a plaintive melody. Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease. See also: plaintive (Thesaurus) plaintiff plain tripe Related Content Daily Word Quiz: spectral Analogy of the Day: Today’s Analogy Spelling Bee: Today’s Spelling Bee Frequently Misspelled Words Frequently Mispronounced Words Easily Confused Words Writing & Language