heartbroken
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of heartbroken
Explanation
To be heartbroken is to be so sad that it feels like your heart has cracked inside your chest. You’d be heartbroken after a death, but you can also be heartbroken when you get dumped by your girlfriend or boyfriend. Waaaaaa. When someone is heartbroken, they are deeply sorrowful or distressed. Feeling heartbroken about a tragic accident or disaster is an understandable response, and being heartbroken after a romantic breakup is basically inevitable. The word heartbroken has been used since the late 1500s, and it comes from heartbreak, which is rooted in the Old English heorte, "heart" and also "spirit" or "soul."
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.
“I have realized that it’s OK to feel proud and heartbroken at the same time,” Angie Gudiel, the vice president of a group called the L.A.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 7, 2026
In an Instagram post, Buscaino said he was heartbroken to hear about Washington’s death.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 7, 2026
A heartbroken couple lost more than £30,000 to a rogue builder who left their new extension unfinished, with water pouring into their home.
From BBC • Jun. 28, 2026
Lavrynovych's mother, who asked not to be named, said she felt "heartbroken and ashamed".
From BBC • Jun. 19, 2026
Ifemelu’s reply came an hour later, a rush of heartbroken words.
From "Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
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.
