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  • Absence makes the heart grow fonder
    Absence makes the heart grow fonder
    Persons, places, or things become dearer to us when they are absent.
  • absence makes the heart grow fonder
    absence makes the heart grow fonder
    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.

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.

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 • Mar. 3, 2024

But, hey, absence makes the heart grow fonder.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 15, 2024

Lexi, who hasn’t seen Mikey in a while, challenges the idea that absence makes the heart grow fonder, ordering him off the property.

From New York Times • Dec. 9, 2021

“It’s really cool to be back. What do they say, absence makes the heart grow fonder? Quite cheesy, but no, really, really cool,” said the 40-year-old Englishman, who is now ranked 14th in the world.

From Washington Times • Jan. 17, 2018

In her case the old adage "absence makes the heart grow fonder" was undoubtedly true.

From The Leader of the Lower School A Tale of School Life by Campbell, John

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