heartbreaking
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of heartbreaking
First recorded in 1600–10; heartbreak + -ing 2
Explanation
Something that's deeply sad or distressing is heartbreaking, like the heartbreaking death of your beloved cat. Heartbreaking is the perfect word to describe a devastating feeling. When you lose someone you love, it feels like your heart is broken. Use this adjective for anything that causes you grief or sorrow, like the heartbreaking loss of an old tree in your yard or a glimpse of your crush holding hands with someone else. Other distressing events can feel heartbreaking too — even the loss of your favorite team in the playoffs: "What a heartbreaking defeat!"
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.
For pretty much everyone I know, their dog’s last years are littered with health problems that are both heartbreaking to witness and expensive to manage.
From MarketWatch • May 19, 2026
“When heartbreaking things happen, find your community,” she says.
From Los Angeles Times • May 8, 2026
The extraordinary difficulties she encountered in adopting her son range from heartbreaking frustration to pure joy.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 8, 2026
But the group said that "after taking an honest look" at the North American section of the tour, they had taken the "difficult and heartbreaking decision" to cancel all but one of the shows.
From BBC • May 5, 2026
In fact—and this is the most heartbreaking part of all—he manages to have an entire conversation with his calculus professor without ever communicating the one fact most likely to appeal to a calculus professor.
From "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell
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.
