heartbreaking

adjective

heart·​break·​ing ˈhärt-ˌbrā-kiŋ How to pronounce heartbreaking (audio)
Synonyms of heartbreakingnext
1
: causing intense sorrow or distress
heartbreaking news
a heartbreaking defeat
2
: producing an intense emotional reaction or response
heartbreaking beauty
heartbreakingly adverb
a heartbreakingly tragic movie

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
There’s some heartbreaking moments where Mary’s trying so hard to please him. Arushi Jacob, Variety, 25 June 2026 Los Canaleros came close in their first group match of this year’s edition, though, conceding a heartbreaking goal in the final seconds against Ghana to lose 1-0. Ben Church, CNN Money, 23 June 2026 On Monday, June 22, the podcast host and widow of The Wanted's Tom Parker, 36, appeared on the British morning show This Morning and shared heartbreaking details about giving birth in June 2025 to her son Phoenix, who was stillborn, with her partner Will Lindsay. Hannah Sacks, PEOPLE, 23 June 2026 Beyond grieving the loss of her friend from the show, however, Baela actor Bethany Antonia feels Jace’s death pushes House of the Dragon into a heartbreaking speed for the rest of the season. Josh Wigler, HollywoodReporter, 22 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for heartbreaking

Word History

First Known Use

1591, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of heartbreaking was in 1591

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Cite this Entry

“Heartbreaking.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/heartbreaking. Accessed 25 Jun. 2026.

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