nostalgia
Americannoun
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a wistful desire to return in thought or in fact to a former time in one's life, to one's home or homeland, or to one's family and friends; a sentimental yearning for the happiness of a former place or time.
a nostalgia for his college days.
-
something that elicits or displays nostalgia.
noun
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a yearning for the return of past circumstances, events, etc
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the evocation of this emotion, as in a book, film, etc
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longing for home or family; homesickness
Other Word Forms
- nostalgic adjective
Etymology
Origin of nostalgia
First recorded in 1770–80; from New Latin, from Greek nóst(os) “a return home” + -algia -algia
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.
It is a nostalgia shared by the chroniclers of the past.
From Los Angeles Times
She said "I think it's brought back a bit of nostalgia for everybody."
From BBC
The Telegraph's Anita Singh notes "the fidelity to the original is practically unheard of in the world of TV", leading to feelings of "joy and a fuzzy nostalgia".
From BBC
In the spirit of nostalgia, we’ve rounded up 16 moments that bring us back to that time.
From Los Angeles Times
What it says about America: Wartime nostalgia and postwar domesticity codified the modern American holiday season.
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.
