brokenhearted

American  

[broh-kuhn-hahr-tid] / ˈbroʊ kənˈhɑr tɪd /

adjective

1. burdened with great sorrow, grief, or disappointment.

   Synonyms:

   dejected, despondent, heartbroken, heartsick

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brokenhearted British  

/ ˌbrəʊkənˈhɑːtɪd /

adjective

1. overwhelmed by grief or disappointment

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Other Word Forms

• brokenheartedly adverb
• brokenheartedness noun

Etymology

Origin of brokenhearted

First recorded in 1520–30

Explanation

Are you so profoundly sad that it feels like a physical pain in your chest? You're brokenhearted. Someone might be brokenhearted about the death of a beloved cat or a falling out with an old friend. Another way to say brokenhearted is heartbroken. Either word is perfect for capturing the sensation that your heart has actually shattered from sorrow. It makes total sense to feel brokenhearted if your best friend snubs you or your favorite grandparent dies. This unhappy adjective has been around since the 1520s.

Example Sentences

But before closing the curtain, he is bringing his brokenhearted acoustics and cowboy hat to L.A.’s Wiltern for two sold-out shows on Tuesday and Wednesday.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 28, 2025

Rollin had been dealing with pain from arthritis and a gastrointestinal condition, she said, and had been brokenhearted since the death of her husband, Harold Edwards, a mathematician, in 2020.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 7, 2023

Ms. Huang tried to rally her brokenhearted friends.

From New York Times • Jun. 3, 2023

But Colman explained in a recent interview that costume designer Verity Hawkes wanted to portray the brokenhearted woman as rotting from the inside by darkening her hem to look like there's mold growing through it.

From Salon • Mar. 27, 2023

Hippolytus turned his eyes from her radiance to Theseus brokenhearted.

From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton