Synonyms of yearn

yearn

verb

as in to long

Synonyms & Similar Words

• long
• pine
• agonize
• fear
• worry
• bother
• despair
• trouble
• chafe
• stress
• sweat
• fret
• stew
• fuss

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• accept
• take
• endure
• sustain
• tolerate
• abide
• bear
• stick out
• stomach

Synonym Chooser

How is the word yearn distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of yearn are hanker, hunger, long, pine, and thirst. While all these words mean "to have a strong desire for something," yearn suggests an eager, restless, or painful longing.

yearned for a stage career

Where would hanker be a reasonable alternative to yearn?

The synonyms hanker and yearn are sometimes interchangeable, but hanker suggests the uneasy promptings of unsatisfied appetite or desire.

always hankering for money

How are the words hunger and thirst related as synonyms of yearn?

Both hunger and thirst imply an insistent or impatient craving or a compelling need.

hungered for a business of his own

thirsted for power

When could long be used to replace yearn?

Although the words long and yearn have much in common, long implies a wishing with one's whole heart and often a striving to attain.

longed for some rest

When might pine be a better fit than yearn?

The words pine and yearn can be used in similar contexts, but pine implies a languishing or a fruitless longing for what is impossible.

pined for a lost love

Examples of yearn in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In this view, Kim was not only custodian of the American polity but its inheritor, alongside the nation’s Asian, Latino, and black populace—what the white revanchists yearning for, say, the 80 percent white America of 1980, might refer to as a Great Replacement. —Andrew Cockburn, Harper's Magazine, 22 Aug. 2024

Provide Chances To Mentor New Talent Beyond the traditional elements of compensation including base salary, bonus, stock and healthcare, many leaders yearn for ways to give back to the organization and surrounding community. —Expert Panel®, Forbes, 17 Sep. 2024

That would be welcome news for those in lower-income nations who yearn to own their own car, since the laws of supply and demand predict that a growing supply of used vehicles would lower their market price. —David Zipper, Vox, 3 Sep. 2024

Vice President Kamala Harris announcing Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate on Tuesday led to the candidates unveiling a campaign hat supporters are yearning for despite, or maybe because of, its resemblance to a cap created by a popular singer. —Jonathan Limehouse, USA TODAY, 7 Aug. 2024