Definition of "wistful" []

• Full of wishful yearning. (adjective)
• Pensively sad; melancholy. (adjective)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "It made me want to hold on tight to things and to people… His words trailed off, his expression wistful."
• "She glanced out the window, her expression wistful."
• "The younger man watched the First Officer leave, his expression wistful, before turning back to the others."