heartbroken

adjective

ˈhärt-ˌbrō-kən How to pronounce heartbroken (audio)
Definition of heartbrokennext
1
as in sad
feeling unhappiness not as heartbroken over missing out on the trip to New York as I thought she would be

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in weeping
expressing or suggesting mourning was utterly heartbroken when his pet dog died

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of heartbroken Wright State University President Sue Edwards said the school community was heartbroken. — Catherine E. Shoichet, CNN Money, 2 Sep. 2026 Micah’s life was taken far too soon, leaving his family, friends, teammates, and community heartbroken. — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 31 Aug. 2026 Speaking during a recent career retrospective hosted by the SAG-AFTRA Foundation, the 71-year-old actor revealed that his Thelma & Louise co-star left him heartbroken. — Hannah Malach, InStyle, 25 Aug. 2026 Remembering Jada Many remain heartbroken over Sellers' tragic death, including her teachers at Milford Mill Academy. — Mike Hellgren, CBS News, 24 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for heartbroken
Recent Examples of Synonyms for heartbroken
  1. sad
  2. weeping
  3. unhappy
  4. mournful
  5. depressed
  6. funeral
  7. miserable
  8. bitter
Adjective
  • Tuesday's testimony in Media was emotional and sad as the 911 call of the stabbing was played.
    — Joe Holden, CBS News, 13 Oct. 2026
  • But seeing Mike Love this weekend was a sad one for Beach Boys fans.
    — Geoff Edgers, Washington Post, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of sad
Adjective
  • And every day, across from them, outside the clinic, about to enter or just leaving, there were women hugging each other and weeping.
    — David Mamet, National Review, 11 Aug. 2022
  • The show manages to stay on the brink — always laughing, never quite weeping — for its entire length.
    — Helen Shaw, Vulture, 8 Dec. 2021
Definition of weeping
Adjective
  • Someone still must understand why that client is unhappy and rebuild confidence.
    — Adam Povlitz, Forbes.com, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Even residents who are unhappy with most aspects of the rezoning admit that the studios were a win.
    — Kim Velsey, Curbed, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of unhappy
Adjective
  • Eleazar forgoes Thom Yorke-style belting, draws out the mournful quaver in the lyrics, and subtly reshapes the anthem in Misty’s image, her commitment to doing things her way.
    — Justin Chang, New Yorker, 10 Oct. 2026
  • But the production here betrays its economy, and the direction, by Garth Davis and Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre, remains earthbound, held down by mournful strings and devoid of color.
    — Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of mournful
Adjective
  • Republicans fear depressed turnout among their supporters in Texas could jeopardize their control of the Senate seat.
    — Matthew Choi, Washington Post, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Simply put, a rain garden is a depressed bed planted with native perennials and shrubs selected for their high-water tolerance.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of depressed
Adjective
  • The GoFundMe, which was started to cover funeral costs, counseling and other support for the family, has raised a little over $23,000.
    — Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 2 Oct. 2026
  • To Diana, who has taken over First Desk at the Park after last season’s events, River’s refusal to take bereavement leave gives her license to speak about his grandfather’s funeral arrangements with her usual cool formality.
    — Scott Tobias, Vulture, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of funeral
Adjective
  • Sunday’s 31-24 loss to Cincinnati – the latest miserable day during this depressing season - crystallized several issues that general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan and coach Jeff Hafley must navigate in the days and weeks ahead.
    — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 11 Oct. 2026
  • Probably get out and do that, like, half-walk, half-jog thing and then show up, like, really sweaty and miserable.
    — Zach Schiffman, Curbed, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of miserable
Adjective
  • The second episode will examine her interventions on Scottish independence, feminism, free speech, and gender identity, which place her at the heart of increasingly bitter online exchanges.
    — Jake Kanter, Deadline, 13 Oct. 2026
  • The incident inspired multiple memorial meme coins, forensic scrutiny of video footage, and bitter anti-Waymo sentiment.
    — Molly Fischer, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of bitter

Browse Nearby Words

heartbreaking
heartbroken
hearten
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Heartbroken.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/heartbroken. Accessed 15 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9
See More

Popular

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
a cup of tea and a golf ball on tee side by side
Quiz: Sounds Like... Choose the word that sounds like it fits the clue...
See All