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.
"We are heartbroken to learn the tragic news that Jose was killed in a helicopter accident in Kenya," said a statement by Cesar Conde, newsgroup chairman of parent-company NBCUniversal, and two other executives.
From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026
They soon understand that to be heartbroken is to be damned to know the exquisite pain of being alive.
From Salon ● Aug. 17, 2026
Her owners Lucy and Hannah Robertson were "heartbroken" in 2016 when Charlie, then three years old, disappeared.
From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026
I told my father how heartbroken I was and he agreed.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
I listened to the same heartbroken song the entire bus ride home, because it was still a summer when sadness was beautiful.
From "We Are Okay" by Nina LaCour
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.
