heartbreaking
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
- heartbreakingly adverb
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.
"The thought that she would grow up surrounded by an industrial energy park is heartbreaking."
From BBC • Apr. 19, 2026
It’s almost heartbreaking that a whole room full of people had to hear him feel bad and keep being furious.
From Slate • Apr. 17, 2026
Over the same period the number of men who reported having no close friends at all increased by a heartbreaking factor of five.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 14, 2026
“It’s heartbreaking because it’s a road sign that we are going backwards.”
From Salon • Apr. 8, 2026
He was willing to exchange soul-destroying suspicion for heartbreaking reality.
From "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith
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.
