nostalgic
Americanadjective
adjective
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of nostalgic
Explanation
You feel nostalgic when you miss your childhood, people you know but haven't seen in a while or the things that bring you comfort, like the nostalgic memories you feel when you listen to the songs you loved when you were little. The adjective nostalgic is often used to describe someone who is homesick and wants to be back at home with family. It always involves a wistful memory of times that now seem better or simpler. A nostalgic feeling can involve home and family, but it can also involve a longing for long-gone moments. Even beloved things, such as old TV shows or athletes from a different era may provoke the feeling of nostalgia.
Vocabulary lists containing nostalgic
List 1
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ACT Reading Test: Words to Capture Tone, List 1
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The Lightning Thief
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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.
She said people have been feeling nostalgic as they have visited the shop for the last time.
From BBC • May 30, 2026
Conjuring fossils, keepsakes, toys and relics, these nostalgic, tactile miniatures suggest that Duchamp, the consummate iconoclast, may have believed in the aesthetic, transformational power of art after all.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 30, 2026
He watched as posters' imagination developed the image into a "vaguely nostalgic and vaguely dreamlike but also very tangible science-fiction concept".
From Barron's • May 28, 2026
She is currently a staff writer at 47Magazine, a Gen-Z-run publication based in NYC, where she’s written stories ranging from hair and gender expression to nostalgic 2000s trends.
From Los Angeles Times • May 26, 2026
“He was a hell of a mechanic, by God,” the man said with a nostalgic chuckle.
From "The Serpent King" by Jeff Zentner
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.
