as in sorrow
deep sadness especially for the loss of someone or something loved
I understand the heartbreak you must feel over your grandmother's death
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of heartbreak
On her second studio album, Puerto Rican singer-songwriter GALE delivers a sharp, shimmering pop across 13 tracks that explore heartbreak, new beginnings, and the nostalgia of first times.
—
Luisa Calle, Billboard, 31 Oct. 2025
Henderson’s style calls to mind Chappell Roan’s raw emotionality or Olivia Rodrigo’s guitar-rich pop-rock bangers, all the while anchored to rich storytelling of love and heartbreak and frustration.
—Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 31 Oct. 2025
Visions of the Western United States —its woods and landscapes— both entice and haunt Grainier throughout his life, evoking unanswerable beauty and heartbreak that circle around and around the logger and railroad worker, nonlinearly over the course of the film.
—Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 30 Oct. 2025
The emerald ash borer has brought disappointment and heartbreak for more than two decades over an ever-increasing portion of the United States.
—Caitlin Looby, jsonline.com, 29 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for heartbreak
Luisa Calle, Billboard, 31 Oct. 2025
Henderson’s style calls to mind Chappell Roan’s raw emotionality or Olivia Rodrigo’s guitar-rich pop-rock bangers, all the while anchored to rich storytelling of love and heartbreak and frustration.
—Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 31 Oct. 2025
Visions of the Western United States —its woods and landscapes— both entice and haunt Grainier throughout his life, evoking unanswerable beauty and heartbreak that circle around and around the logger and railroad worker, nonlinearly over the course of the film.
—Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 30 Oct. 2025
The emerald ash borer has brought disappointment and heartbreak for more than two decades over an ever-increasing portion of the United States.
—Caitlin Looby, jsonline.com, 29 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for heartbreak
Recent Examples of Synonyms for heartbreak
Noun
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The marvel of this verse is in its vulnerability in expressing sorrow, lost love and despair—under the seams runs the pain.—
Amber McBride,
Literary Hub,
5 Nov. 2025
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Among the recurrent themes are suicide, mysteriously intractable sorrow, and failed attempts at familial and romantic connection.—
Margaret Talbot,
New Yorker,
3 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Added to the trauma of grief and sudden eviction under threat of reprisal, Adelaida has to endure seeing the sacred mementos of her mother’s life trashed by the thuggish new squatters.—
Jessica Kiang,
Variety,
31 Oct. 2025
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The Blackcoat's Daughter (2015) Moody and intricate (sometimes maddeningly so), this debut from Oz Perkins (son of Psycho star Anthony) inflicts supernatural horror and grief upon the students of a Catholic boarding school.—
Dennis Perkins,
Entertainment Weekly,
31 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The towering performance has generated major Oscar buzz since the film’s premiere at Telluride, where audiences were visibly shaken — and deeply moved — by Buckley’s portrayal of a mother’s anguish.—
Clayton Davis,
Variety,
31 Oct. 2025
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The lawsuit, filed by Morgan & Morgan, says the woman lost consciousness and suffered permanent bodily injury, mental anguish, and more in the incident on the Mako coaster on March 24.—
Eve Chen,
USA Today,
30 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Heartbreak.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/heartbreak. Accessed 7 Nov. 2025.
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