heartbreaking
Americanadjective
Other Word Forms
- heartbreakingly adverb
Etymology
Origin of heartbreaking
First recorded in 1600–10; heartbreak + -ing 2
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.
She was kind of the gateway to exceptional comedy — physical comedy, intellectual comedy, and a wonderful absurdity but also quite often, in surprising ways, rather heartbreaking.
From Los Angeles Times
"It's heartbreaking but I don't see another answer. It's looking more and more an impossible task."
From BBC
Her story of forgiveness in the face of a heartbreaking tragedy has become a sell-out theatre show in both London and New York.
From BBC
"The reason I wanted to make this video was because the last three months have honestly been the most heartbreaking time of my life. I literally feel like my whole life has done a 360."
From BBC
At times funny, thrilling and heartbreaking, it’s easily one of the best shows of 2025.
From MarketWatch
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.
