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plaintive + noun
plaintive 常修饰表示声音、表情或神情的名词，如 cry、look、voice。
The dog gave a plaintive whine.
那只狗发出一声哀怨的呜咽。
悲哀的；哀伤的；忧伤的
先理解核心含义，再看它在真实句子里的用法。
悲哀的；哀伤的；忧伤的
expressing sorrow
The dog gave a plaintive whine.
那只狗发出一声哀怨的呜咽。
听起来悲伤、哀伤或忧郁的。
Sounding sorrowful, mournful or melancholic.
表达悲伤的
expressing sorrow
The puppy gave a plaintive whine when I left the room.
我离开房间时，小狗发出哀伤的呜咽声。
She heard a plaintive song coming from the old house.
她听到从那座老房子里传来一首哀伤的歌曲。
His plaintive voice made everyone in the room feel sad.
他哀伤的声音让房间里每个人都感到难过。
plaintive 常修饰表示声音、表情或神情的名词，如 cry、look、voice。
The dog gave a plaintive whine.
那只狗发出一声哀怨的呜咽。
作表语时，说明主语处于哀伤的状态，常用于 sound、look、become 等系动词后。
Her tone grew plaintive as she told the story.
她讲故事时，语气变得哀伤起来。
Not this
The plaintive went to court.
Use this
The plaintiff went to court.
plaintive 是形容词，意为“哀伤的”，常修饰声音或神情；plaintiff 才是名词“原告”。两者拼写相近，但词性和含义不同。
Not this
She felt plaintive after hearing the news.
Use this
She felt sad after hearing the news.
plaintive 描述的是“听起来或看起来悲伤的”（如 a plaintive cry），不用于描述人自身的情绪感受；表达“感到悲伤”应用 sad 或 melancholy。
Focus on the distinctions below. Other candidates are kept compact until a reliable usage note is available.
哀伤的哭声
The plaintive cry of a lost kitten could be heard outside.
外面能听到迷失小猫哀伤的叫声。
哀怨的声音
She spoke in a plaintive voice, asking for help.
她用哀怨的声音说话，请求帮助。
悲伤的旋律
The plaintive melody brought tears to everyone's eyes.
这首悲伤的旋律让每个人都落泪了。
悲痛的哀号
A plaintive wail rose from the crowd.
人群中响起了一声哀号。
哀伤的语调
His plaintive tone made it impossible to refuse him.
他哀伤的语调让人无法拒绝他。
别了！别了！你哀婉的颂歌渐渐消失。（语出济慈《夜莺颂》，诗人向夜莺告别，听其哀伤的歌声渐远。）
The plaintive sound of the violin filled the empty concert hall.
哀婉的小提琴声充满了空荡荡的音乐厅。
发长 /eɪ/ 音 (如 rain, wait)
Use plaintive naturally, then get feedback on meaning, tone, grammar, and phrasing.
Revisit a common error or keep this word in your review list.
联想 complaint（抱怨），plaintive 就是“哀伤的、表示痛苦的”，像在低声抱怨悲伤。
语域：formal 常见场景：文学作品、正式书面描述 该词比较常见于文学作品或正式书面描述，多用来形容声音、乐曲或表情中流露出的悲伤和哀怨。日常口语中不如 sad 常用，使用时通常带有一定的文学色彩。
这些词都以 -tive 结尾，但没有一个与 plaintive (/ˈpleɪntɪv/) 完全押韵。注意 native (/ˈneɪtɪv/) 看似与 plaintive 的重音部分相似，但缺少元音后的 /n/，所以并不押韵。
Dictionary facts from ECDICT, WIKTIONARY.