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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of heartbreaking
From people discovered after swarms of flies are spotted inside a home to heartbreaking stories of pets found waiting with deceased owners, while unsettling, Snyder said that such occurrences are not as rare as many might believe.
—
Alice Gibbs, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Aug. 2025
Their testimonies were heartbreaking.
—Nicole Russell, USA Today, 29 Aug. 2025
The America's Got Talent results shows can be heartbreaking sometimes, and that was certainly true Wednesday, when results of the second round of the quarterfinals were revealed.
—Raechal Shewfelt, EW.com, 28 Aug. 2025
Serayah stars as Ruth Moably, an Atlanta hip-hop artist who turns her back on fame after a heartbreaking loss.
—Okla Jones, Essence, 28 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for heartbreaking
Alice Gibbs, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Aug. 2025
Their testimonies were heartbreaking.
—Nicole Russell, USA Today, 29 Aug. 2025
The America's Got Talent results shows can be heartbreaking sometimes, and that was certainly true Wednesday, when results of the second round of the quarterfinals were revealed.
—Raechal Shewfelt, EW.com, 28 Aug. 2025
Serayah stars as Ruth Moably, an Atlanta hip-hop artist who turns her back on fame after a heartbreaking loss.
—Okla Jones, Essence, 28 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for heartbreaking
Recent Examples of Synonyms for heartbreaking
Adjective
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But now, the King and the royal family have received very sad news that will change things going forward.—
Lizzie Lanuza,
StyleCaster,
5 Sep. 2025
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Shooting scenes in wide or medium shots that sometimes break into Hsiao-Lee’s harrowing point-of-view, cinematographer Yu Jing-Pin depicts a world without much color or hope, while sets by Huang Mei-Ching and Tu Shuo-Feng emphasize a sad and impoverished existence.—
Jordan Mintzer,
HollywoodReporter,
4 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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This was a senseless and tragic loss.—
Hollie Silverman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Sep. 2025
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Nicknamed Lucky and Lucky II, two baby pterosaurs who came to a tragic end.—
Maria Mocerino,
Interesting Engineering,
6 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The end of that era came slowly, through the pathetic collapse of Syria and Lebanon as functioning states, and then quickly, when Israel began touching Hezbollah in unexpected places.—
Graeme Wood,
The Atlantic,
2 Sep. 2025
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Want the poop on this pathetic history?—
Brian Domitrovic,
Forbes.com,
30 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Compelling, sure, but more depressing than funny.—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
5 Sep. 2025
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The news is depressing, and now the Tribune is ignoring what is, for those who are not sports fans, their leading form of entertainment.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
1 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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This was the unfortunate and tragic outcome.—
Rachel Wolf,
FOXNews.com,
9 Sep. 2025
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This latest ‘oopsie’ also fits an unfortunate pattern.—
Brittany Allen,
Literary Hub,
9 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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As del Toro sees it, Frankenstein’s pitiful creation has been cursed with life, cannot be killed (even bullets don’t stop him) and must face the same existential crisis that confronts us all.—
Peter Debruge,
Variety,
30 Aug. 2025
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Over 1,000 murdered whilst queuing for aid, starved due to their siege, whilst pitiful amounts of aid delivered by a sham agency controlled by Israel.—
Emily Zemler,
Rolling Stone,
20 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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But prorating three years of player profits down to 12 months, as UEFA’s rule does, reduces the immediate efficacy of successful trading in the market, the very strategy that poorer clubs increasingly rely on to climb the ladder.—
Chris Weatherspoon,
New York Times,
5 Sep. 2025
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Like most extended car warranty providers, CarShield excludes pre-existing conditions that existed before your warranty took effect, as well as damage resulting from poor maintenance, neglect or intentional abuse.—
Brian Sloan,
CNBC,
4 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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These behaviors create miserable workplace cultures that lead to a big retention and employee engagement problem.—
Ellen Whitlock Baker,
Forbes.com,
9 Sep. 2025
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But the Broncos will look to confuse him with multiple looks and make the Titans one dimensional to make his life miserable.—
Joe Nguyen,
Denver Post,
7 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Heartbreaking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/heartbreaking. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
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