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
The daughter, recognizing that her mother needed a reprieve from the heartbreak, didn’t choose a spa or a favorite restaurant.
—
Carolyn Stein, Chicago Tribune, 2 Apr. 2026
The Honeymoon, based on McCullah’s original pitch and in development at TriStar, follows a focused and driven woman who experiences sudden heartbreak just days before her wedding.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 2 Apr. 2026
Tigga, meanwhile, at 14 years old, suffered the kind of heartbreak that is sadly all too common among senior dogs at the shelter.
—Jack Beresford, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2026
In those almost unimaginable hours and days of anguish and heartbreak, Alastair had already read extracts to him from Arsene Wenger’s autobiography — a Christmas present that Adam had not yet read.
—Daniel Taylor, New York Times, 31 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for heartbreak
Carolyn Stein, Chicago Tribune, 2 Apr. 2026
The Honeymoon, based on McCullah’s original pitch and in development at TriStar, follows a focused and driven woman who experiences sudden heartbreak just days before her wedding.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 2 Apr. 2026
Tigga, meanwhile, at 14 years old, suffered the kind of heartbreak that is sadly all too common among senior dogs at the shelter.
—Jack Beresford, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2026
In those almost unimaginable hours and days of anguish and heartbreak, Alastair had already read extracts to him from Arsene Wenger’s autobiography — a Christmas present that Adam had not yet read.
—Daniel Taylor, New York Times, 31 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for heartbreak
Recent Examples of Synonyms for heartbreak
Noun
-
Anna ends up at a hotel bar, ordering a burger and a beer, eating her sorrows away.—
Jocelyn Noveck,
Boston Herald,
10 Apr. 2026
-
Don't resist them; that only creates sorrow.—
Kait Hanson,
Southern Living,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Here, in this new context, their large eyes did not seem wide with their usual wonder but swollen with grief and disbelief.—
Douglas Stuart,
New Yorker,
12 Apr. 2026
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The overwhelming grief of losing a child became even worse when a detective gave her a notebook from Audree’s locker.—
Meena Duerson,
CNN Money,
11 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Large statues of the Virgin Mary show her in various states of mourning, even in anguish.—
Alexis Marshall,
NPR,
3 Apr. 2026
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Without a diagnosis, people are unsure about how a condition might progress over time, and this can be a great source of anguish for both patients and their families.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
1 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Heartbreak.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/heartbreak. Accessed 13 Apr. 2026.
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