1
as in sad
causing unhappiness
a heartbreaking story of a family torn asunder by war
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of heartbreaking
But the house is also a benignly indifferent witness to the happiness and the strife that occur within its walls—and to the heartbreaking transience of human lives.
—
Margaret Talbot, New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2025
Ronnie’s devastation is heartbreaking, as is the impossible situation Lilly has found herself in — and her betrayal of Hank doesn’t even save her.
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 3 Nov. 2025
Despite the film’s heartbreaking subject matter, Eva Victor is all smiles during our interview.
—Destiny Jackson, Deadline, 30 Oct. 2025
Lisa Vanderpump’s family is coping with heartbreaking news after her 28-year-old nephew was diagnosed with end-stage liver disease.
—Vivian Kwarm, Mercury News, 29 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for heartbreaking
Margaret Talbot, New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2025
Ronnie’s devastation is heartbreaking, as is the impossible situation Lilly has found herself in — and her betrayal of Hank doesn’t even save her.
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 3 Nov. 2025
Despite the film’s heartbreaking subject matter, Eva Victor is all smiles during our interview.
—Destiny Jackson, Deadline, 30 Oct. 2025
Lisa Vanderpump’s family is coping with heartbreaking news after her 28-year-old nephew was diagnosed with end-stage liver disease.
—Vivian Kwarm, Mercury News, 29 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for heartbreaking
Recent Examples of Synonyms for heartbreaking
Adjective
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As Morgan and Sasha chat it up at Noah’s family’s Purim party, a sad-eyed Esther stands off to the side, quietly watching the interaction.—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
24 Oct. 2025
-
The footage shows Deiseroth’s demeanor teetering between sad and angry.—
David Goodhue
October 24,
Miami Herald,
24 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The tragic death of the Sepulveda family patriarch calls his descendants back to Villa Sepulveda, a Spanish colonial manor in a coconut plantation; but a landslide traps the guests inside, transforming the funeral plans into a supernatural reckoning of sins.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Nov. 2025
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Lyles trails in funding for mayoral race Donovan’s campaign seemingly got a big financial boost after the tragic death of Iryna Zarutska on the Blue Line hit national headlines in early September.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
2 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Enter Claude Whelan, played by James Callis, a fine actor with a face that can contort itself into about a dozen different versions of misery and pathetic dismay.—
Brian Grubb,
Vulture,
29 Oct. 2025
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Ratcheting up the pressure on the pathetic Putin will be the only way this war ends.—
Chicago Tribune,
Twin Cities,
28 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Soon, the entire room was awash with clippings, each detailing a different duplicitous scheme — a depressing reflection of how scam culture was taking over my country, eroding our trust in each other.—
Snigdha Poonam,
The Dial,
28 Oct. 2025
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Welcome to the most depressing engagement party of the century.—
Maggie Fremont,
Vulture,
23 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Thus a wonderful section on The Jew of Malta climaxes in an unfortunate vision of the text as a secret message to Lord Strange, a wealthy and important patron of the arts.—
Isaac Butler,
The Atlantic,
3 Nov. 2025
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Such an event, let alone two within less than an hour of each other, is both unfortunate and potentially very suspicious.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
3 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Yet Plemons imbues him with despair, finding a pitiful fragility in his aggression.—
Shirley Li,
The Atlantic,
31 Oct. 2025
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Jerry Jeudy has struggled, and the depth behind Jeudy has been pitiful.—
Matthew Schmidt,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The Ministry of Environment blamed this year’s surge on a poor acorn harvest – which drove a similar spate of attacks in 2023.—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
7 Nov. 2025
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Rather, the slow start (by Ovechkin’s standards) to this season seemed due more to poor puck luck.—
Sean Gentille,
New York Times,
6 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Zoning is not meant to be some sort of punishing thing meant to make a city miserable.—
Kim Velsey,
Curbed,
5 Nov. 2025
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But George appeared in just 41 games due to injury, while Embiid played in just 19 games, and the Sixers sagged to a miserable 24-58 finish.—
Robert Marvi,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Heartbreaking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/heartbreaking. Accessed 8 Nov. 2025.
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