heartbreaking
adjective
heart·break·ing
ˈhärt-ˌbrā-kiŋ 
1
: causing intense sorrow or distress
heartbreaking news
a heartbreaking defeat
2
: producing an intense emotional reaction or response
heartbreaking beauty
Examples of heartbreaking in a Sentence
She wrote a heartbreaking story about the death of her grandfather.
It was heartbreaking to know that there was nothing I could do.
The team suffered another heartbreaking defeat.
Recent Examples on the Web
And what heartbreaking twist derailed their emotional reunion back in 2020?
—
Matt Webb Mitovich, TVLine, 4 Sep. 2025
The Alaska State Troopers Active Missing Persons Bulletins webpage shows the faces of more than 150 missing people, each with a gut-wrenching, heartbreaking story.
—Bjorn Dihle, Outdoor Life, 4 Sep. 2025
His lyrics are incredibly funny and absolutely heartbreaking.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 1 Sep. 2025
Eventually, Harvey, who had previously written and directed three independent feature films and the award-winning short Hand, which documents his diagnosis, had to make the heartbreaking decision to give up filming due to his persistent hand tremor.
—Gus Alexiou, Forbes.com, 31 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for heartbreaking
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Matt Webb Mitovich, TVLine, 4 Sep. 2025
The Alaska State Troopers Active Missing Persons Bulletins webpage shows the faces of more than 150 missing people, each with a gut-wrenching, heartbreaking story.
—Bjorn Dihle, Outdoor Life, 4 Sep. 2025
His lyrics are incredibly funny and absolutely heartbreaking.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 1 Sep. 2025
Eventually, Harvey, who had previously written and directed three independent feature films and the award-winning short Hand, which documents his diagnosis, had to make the heartbreaking decision to give up filming due to his persistent hand tremor.
—Gus Alexiou, Forbes.com, 31 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for heartbreaking
Cite this Entry
“Heartbreaking.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/heartbreaking. Accessed 6 Sep. 2025.
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