ˈwistfəl adjective
Etymology: wist ly + -ful; in senses 2 & 3 influenced in meaning by wish (II)
1. obsolete : intent
2.
a. : full of timorous longing or unfulfilled desire : melancholy , yearning
those wistful little ads which the lovelorn … place in the classified columns — E.B.White
the wistful gaze of the explorer has turned upward to the clouds — Waldemar Kaempffert
b. : inspiring wistfulness : reminiscently evocative
the wistful fragility of all new feeling — Marcia Davenport
deserted buildings above which wistful flags fly bravely — George Haines
3. : musingly sad : pensive , mournful
the sensitive and wistful response of a poet to the gentler phase of beauty — American Guide Series: Minnesota
would fix her eyes on the distance in dreary contemplation, and her mind would follow her eyes, in a vacant and wistful regard — G.D.Brown
• wist·ful·ly -fəlē, -li adverb