Wistful, losing cat in a crash (9)
I believe the answer is:
nostalgic
'wistful' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'losing cat in a crash' is the wordplay.
'in a crash' indicates an anagram.
'losing'+'cat'='losingcat'
'losingcat' is an anagram of 'NOSTALGIC'.
(Other definitions for nostalgic that I've seen before include "Looking backwards" , "Home sick" , "recollection?" , "Sentimental about the past" , "Yearning for the past" .)