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
Synonyms
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
Each story was more heartbreaking than the one before.
—
Rosie Colosi, NBC News, 25 Apr. 2024
Her poignant performance in 'Not A Day Goes By (Reprise)' is nothing short of heartbreaking.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 23 Apr. 2024
What is so heartbreaking about this episode is seeing Nechuma and Sol forced to work in a factory and living in separate quarters.
—Hunter Ingram, Variety, 18 Apr. 2024
The film is beautiful, and ultimately, heartbreaking.
—Amanda Rosa, Miami Herald, 17 Apr. 2024
Suman is at least more textured — Panjabi is heartbreaking as a mother mourning not only the loss of her daughter, but the chance to repair a relationship that had recently fallen apart over a disastrous effort by Reena to break free of Suman’s strict Jehovah’s Witness values.
—Angie Han, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Apr. 2024
While the end of 2023 and first months of 2024 have yielded a trove of ambitious, frightening, and heartbreaking documentaries (see: Occupied City, Dario Argento Panico, 20 Days in Mariupol), along with a soupçon of celebrity dish (see: Frida, Steve!
—Erik Morse, Vogue, 15 Apr. 2024
One of the most heartbreaking moments reported about Nicole Brown Simpson’s murder had to do with her children.
—Martha Ross, The Mercury News, 12 Apr. 2024
Funny, heartbreaking, and somewhat Dickensian, Fallada’s novel is truly a pleasure, and deserves to be more widely read.
—Ilana Masad, The Atlantic, 11 Apr. 2024
Rosie Colosi, NBC News, 25 Apr. 2024
Her poignant performance in 'Not A Day Goes By (Reprise)' is nothing short of heartbreaking.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 23 Apr. 2024
What is so heartbreaking about this episode is seeing Nechuma and Sol forced to work in a factory and living in separate quarters.
—Hunter Ingram, Variety, 18 Apr. 2024
The film is beautiful, and ultimately, heartbreaking.
—Amanda Rosa, Miami Herald, 17 Apr. 2024
Suman is at least more textured — Panjabi is heartbreaking as a mother mourning not only the loss of her daughter, but the chance to repair a relationship that had recently fallen apart over a disastrous effort by Reena to break free of Suman’s strict Jehovah’s Witness values.
—Angie Han, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Apr. 2024
While the end of 2023 and first months of 2024 have yielded a trove of ambitious, frightening, and heartbreaking documentaries (see: Occupied City, Dario Argento Panico, 20 Days in Mariupol), along with a soupçon of celebrity dish (see: Frida, Steve!
—Erik Morse, Vogue, 15 Apr. 2024
One of the most heartbreaking moments reported about Nicole Brown Simpson’s murder had to do with her children.
—Martha Ross, The Mercury News, 12 Apr. 2024
Funny, heartbreaking, and somewhat Dickensian, Fallada’s novel is truly a pleasure, and deserves to be more widely read.
—Ilana Masad, The Atlantic, 11 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'heartbreaking.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near heartbreaking
Cite this Entry
“Heartbreaking.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/heartbreaking. Accessed 29 Apr. 2024.
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