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

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of yearn

Who among us hasn’t looked to the stars and yearned to be whisked off to a brighter frontier? —A.a. Dowd, Vulture, 20 May 2025

All of a sudden, the Trump administration is positioning itself as a champion of the rights of oppressed minorities abroad yearning for the liberty and security that can be found only within America’s borders. —Noah Rothman, National Review, 13 May 2025

While my heart will forever yearn for an alternate reality where Bobby Nash is alive and well, my head knows that Peter Krause‘s beloved 9-1-1 character is indeed six feet under. —Andy Swift, TVLine, 5 May 2025

But whereas the first generation of Chinese entrepreneurs grew up poor and were happy to wring a livelihood from cheap imitations, today’s tech graduates were spared the privations of their parents and yearn for something more meaningful. —Charlie Campbell, Time, 29 May 2025