heartache
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of heartache
before 1000; Middle English hert ache, Old English heort ece; see heart, ache
Explanation
The death of your beloved cat may cause you heartache, or a powerful feeling of loss and sadness. Heartache is often caused by the grief of losing someone you love. Although it doesn't necessarily cause physical discomfort, heartache is an emotionally painful experience. You feel heartache when you lose a loved one, especially when the person you love dies, or when it's impossible for you to be together. Shakespearean tragedies are famously full of heartache. The root of heartache is the Old English heortece, which originally meant a literal "physical pain in the heart," and later came to mean "anguish."
Vocabulary lists containing heartache
Vocabulary from Langston Hughes's "Jazz as Communication"
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American Street
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Play-off heartache in their quest to qualify for the 2022 World Cup was followed by the Scots roaring their way to Euro 2024.
From BBC • Jun. 10, 2026
Teddy Thompson possesses one of those voices, a golden, vivid instrument capable of conjuring joy — though not in excess; he’s English — and caverns of heartache.
From Salon • May 15, 2026
That is a massive loss in our industry and it’s caused a lot of heartache to a lot of working actors who rely on auditions to get jobs.
From Los Angeles Times • May 13, 2026
If only more 20-somethings knew the importance of saving and investing early, it would save a lot of heartache later on.
From MarketWatch • May 13, 2026
The statue comes to life, and King Leontes is reunited with both his daughter and queen, who has forgiven him for all the heartache and grief he’d caused their family.
From "The Marvels" by Brian Selznick
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
