nostalgia

American  

[no-stal-juh, -jee-uh, nuh-] / nɒˈstæl dʒə, -dʒi ə, nə- /

noun

1. 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.

2. something that elicits or displays nostalgia.

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nostalgia British  

/ -dʒɪə, nɒˈstældʒə /

noun

1. a yearning for the return of past circumstances, events, etc

2. the evocation of this emotion, as in a book, film, etc

3. longing for home or family; homesickness

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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

For years, Samsung and other Android phone makers have been unfolding phones into mini tablets and flipping them open with early-2000s nostalgia.

From The Wall Street Journal

Days later, the conservative and lifelong Atlanticist wistfully called on Germans to put aside nostalgia for an America they had known and loved for decades.

From The Wall Street Journal

In the end, Tom glimpses a sense of who he might become, someone who is not rooted in nostalgia or grievance but in the family he already has.

From The Wall Street Journal

But the high regard many critics have for his work is based less on nostalgia than on an admiration for the way he has maintained his freewheeling spirit well into the 21st century.

From The Wall Street Journal

Aesthetically, the nostalgia obsession will continue, with indicators of tactility, texture and imperfection becoming increasingly significant.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• longing
• remorse
• sentimentality
• wistfulness
• yearning