ISEE/SSAT Vocabulary BuilderWordsPpensive
ISEE/SSATmedium
pensive
Meaning: engaged in deep, serious thought
pensive in a sentence
How pensive is used in real sentences:
She had a pensive look as she stared out the window.
She had a pensive look as she stared out the window.
“A pensive pause, however, could signal careful judgment rather than distrust, especially when someone reread the other player's promise.”
— from the passage Signals at the Table
Synonyms for pensive
Other words for pensive — thoughtful, reflective and contemplative — carry the same meaning.
- thoughtful
- reflective
- contemplative
Antonyms of pensive
Words that mean the opposite of pensive:
- unreflective
Where it comes from
From Latin pensare 'to weigh, consider'
Word parts
- pend/pens — hang, weigh, pay
pensive: pens (weigh) + -ive (inclined to) - -ive — turns a verb or root into an adjective meaning tending to, able to, or serving to do it
pensive: pens- (weigh or think) + -ive (tending to)
Memory hook
PENSIVE = using the PEN of thought in your mind.