brokenhearted
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
A headline in the Boston Globe, external summed up the mood: "Smitten from the start, Boston left brokenhearted as Tartan Army moves on."
From BBC ● Jun. 28, 2026
Lizzie Rovzek, who appeared in episodes scattered over five seasons of “RHOC,” wrote, “Love you so much. Amen” on that post, which included the sentence “He heals the brokenhearted and binds their wounds.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 21, 2025
Cage is deeply affecting, hiding waves of rage and resentment under a steely-soft demeanor in a heartbreaking story about a brokenhearted human.
From New York Times ● Apr. 26, 2023
Whether you’re brokenhearted or not, jajangmyeon is a recipe for comfort.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 6, 2023
"But it was just grief, right? He was real. He was just, I don't know, brokenhearted."
From "We Are Okay" by Nina LaCour
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.
