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Absence makes the heart grow fonder

Cultural  
  1. Persons, places, or things become dearer to us when they are absent.


absence makes the heart grow fonder Idioms  
  1. Separation intensifies love, as in After a year in another country she accepted his proposal, so I guess absence makes the heart grow fonder, or, used ironically, The boss leaves earlier every day; oh well, absence makes the heart grow fonder. Although versions of this saying date from Roman times, it only became popular after Thomas Haynes Bayly used it as the last line of a song in The Isle of Beauty (1850). The opposite sentiment is expressed by familiarity breeds contempt.


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.

Sutter also defended Ryan’s posts, one of which included a black-and-white Mother’s Day message: “They say that absence makes the heart grow fonder.”

From Los Angeles Times

The cliche that absence makes the heart grow fonder is apt here, in more ways than one.

From Los Angeles Times

Of course, absence makes the heart grow fonder: her lead single “Yes, And?” brought her into new sonic territory — house-informed pop music — and immediately shot up to No. 1.

From Seattle Times

But, hey, absence makes the heart grow fonder.

From Los Angeles Times

It is said that absence makes the heart grow fonder.

From Los Angeles Times