1
as in sad
causing unhappiness
a heartbreaking story of a family torn asunder by war
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in tragic
of a kind to cause great distress
the heartbreaking state of Main Street now that most of the businesses have closed
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in pathetic
deserving of one's pity
a heartbreaking attempt to escape that ends in disaster
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of heartbreaking
Two days later, the Bucks dropped Game 5 in Indianapolis in heartbreaking fashion, their third-straight first-round exit after making at least the conference semifinals in four consecutive years from 2019 to 2022.
—
Sam Amick, New York Times, 1 May 2025
In contexts with already high levels of maternal and infant mortality, these cuts are heartbreaking.
—Belinda Luscombe, Time, 30 Apr. 2025
Days after the third Jeffrey Epstein abuse accuser to die in recent years took her own life, her family shared an excerpt from a heartbreaking journal entry Virginia Giuffre left behind.
—Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 30 Apr. 2025
Lakers focus on snapping fourth-quarter skids April 28, 2025
The Lakers had the luxury of an extra day off following a heartbreaking Game 4 loss in Minnesota before returning to practice Tuesday.
—Dan Woike, Los Angeles Times, 29 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for heartbreaking
Sam Amick, New York Times, 1 May 2025
In contexts with already high levels of maternal and infant mortality, these cuts are heartbreaking.
—Belinda Luscombe, Time, 30 Apr. 2025
Days after the third Jeffrey Epstein abuse accuser to die in recent years took her own life, her family shared an excerpt from a heartbreaking journal entry Virginia Giuffre left behind.
—Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 30 Apr. 2025
Lakers focus on snapping fourth-quarter skids April 28, 2025
The Lakers had the luxury of an extra day off following a heartbreaking Game 4 loss in Minnesota before returning to practice Tuesday.
—Dan Woike, Los Angeles Times, 29 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for heartbreaking
Recent Examples of Synonyms for heartbreaking
Adjective
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After the show, there's booze, girls, and hotel suites, but Abel's locked in the bathroom, being sad.—
Jordan Hoffman,
EW.com,
15 May 2025
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For someone who prizes roadside Americana, this is the visual version of the sad trombone sound.—
Christopher Reynolds,
Los Angeles Times,
15 May 2025
Adjective
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Mexicans mourned the deaths of two sailors while authorities in Mexico and New York worked to unravel the mystery of the tragic crash of the Cuauhtémoc Training Ship into the Brooklyn Bridge.—
John Bacon,
USA Today,
21 May 2025
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For a moment, while arguing with the doorman, the glassy veneer that Fotis wore all through these tragic hours fell away.—
Rich Cohen,
Rolling Stone,
20 May 2025
Adjective
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No other governor, remember, has tried to pull off this pathetic budget stunt.—
Joe Soucheray,
Twin Cities,
10 May 2025
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In his last, most pathetic years, Mark Twain threw himself behind the crackpot theory that the true author of Shakespeare’s plays may have been Francis Bacon.—
Graeme Wood,
The Atlantic,
9 May 2025
Adjective
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Instead, Chernow devotes a hefty portion of his 1,039 pages (excluding notes) to Twain’s personal tribulations, a depressing series of bungles and calamities starting in the author’s middle age.—
Graeme Wood,
The Atlantic,
9 May 2025
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The lack of business on Sunday and Monday nights could be especially depressing.—
Stephanie Breijo,
Los Angeles Times,
8 May 2025
Adjective
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None of his previous work has been released in the U.S., which is unfortunate because Demoustier (brother of the talented actress Anaïs) is one of those rare French filmmakers who can blend suspense with perceptive writing and characterization, resulting in artsy thrillers that dig deep.—
Jordan Mintzer,
HollywoodReporter,
16 May 2025
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The coworker that went through this in particular took two more weeks unpaid, which in my opinion is also incredibly unfortunate.—
Jordan Fennell,
Hartford Courant,
14 May 2025
Adjective
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But the rates were pitiful: $9.87 for a 13-mile trip, $19.97 for a 25-mile trip and so on.—
Eli Tan,
New York Times,
14 May 2025
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Israel’s performance in climate mitigation, moving to renewable energies, is pitiful — just 12% when some countries are 70%.—
JTA Staff Report,
Sun Sentinel,
5 May 2025
Adjective
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Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns each added 23 points and OG Anunoby bounced back from two poor performances by scoring 20 for the Knicks, who can win the series Wednesday night at Boston.—
Brian Mahoney,
Baltimore Sun,
13 May 2025
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This results in a very poor Debt-to-Equity Ratio of 232.7% (against 21.5% for the S&P 500).—
Trefis Team,
Forbes.com,
12 May 2025
Adjective
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Allergies can make anyone miserable, especially when traveling.—
Michelle Marchante,
Miami Herald,
15 May 2025
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Nothing’s more miserable than foot pain before the dancing’s even begun.—
Camille Freestone,
Glamour,
13 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Heartbreaking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/heartbreaking. Accessed 25 May. 2025.
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