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
The heartbreaking footage shows Marlee, wrapped in a towel robe, in the arms of Jess from Alabama (@jessfromalabama).
—
Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Dec. 2025
At this point, you’d be forgiven for expecting a straightforward werewolf story, but Cassidy’s novel stretches and contorts into something far stranger, more audacious, and ultimately, both heartbreaking and triumphant.
—Emma Alpern, Vulture, 2 Dec. 2025
Revenge of the Sith, the culmination of the Skywalker tragedy that backgrounds the original trilogy, culminates with a fateful, heartbreaking duel — and the birth of two profoundly important twins.
—Katie Rife, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Nov. 2025
That’s heartbreaking, and on Thanksgiving, that’s hard.
—Christina Coulter, PEOPLE, 29 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for heartbreaking
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Dec. 2025
At this point, you’d be forgiven for expecting a straightforward werewolf story, but Cassidy’s novel stretches and contorts into something far stranger, more audacious, and ultimately, both heartbreaking and triumphant.
—Emma Alpern, Vulture, 2 Dec. 2025
Revenge of the Sith, the culmination of the Skywalker tragedy that backgrounds the original trilogy, culminates with a fateful, heartbreaking duel — and the birth of two profoundly important twins.
—Katie Rife, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Nov. 2025
That’s heartbreaking, and on Thanksgiving, that’s hard.
—Christina Coulter, PEOPLE, 29 Nov. 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 7 Dec. 2025.
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