heartbroken

[hahrt-broh-kuhn]

adjective

1. crushed with sorrow or grief.

heartbroken

/ ˈhɑːtˌbrəʊkən /

adjective

1. suffering from intense grief

Other Word Forms

• heartbrokenly adverb
• heartbrokenness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of heartbroken¹

First recorded in 1580–90; heart + broken

Example Sentences

His way with words even saves his life, since the man he crosses happens to be heartbroken and easily gratified by his trespasser’s willingness to pull a Cyrano de Bergerac on his behalf.

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No matter how sick or heartbroken or distracted I am by love or children, the flow just never stops.

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Greenpeace said it was "heartbroken" by her death, calling her "one of the true conservation giants of our time".

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Members of electronic music group Rüfüs Du Sol said they were heartbroken after a woman was attacked at their show at the Rose Bowl on Saturday night.

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A woman says she is "shaken" and "heartbroken" after being racially abused by four children while travelling on the Elizabeth line.

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Related Words

• grief-stricken 
• sad