wistfulness.

A quiet longing for something absent or unrealized, tinged with sadness.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• a trace of wistfulness
• wistfulness in a smile

On the page

Wistfulness entered her smile when the children used the room she had once occupied.

He spoke of the journey with wistfulness rather than regret.

Usage notes

Primary category: psychological / character. Forms: Usually uncountable. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings.