heartbroken

American  

[hahrt-broh-kuhn] / ˈhɑrtˌbroʊ kən /

adjective

1. crushed with sorrow or grief.

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heartbroken British  

/ ˈhɑːtˌbrəʊkən /

adjective

1. suffering from intense grief

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Other Word Forms

• heartbrokenly
  adverb
• heartbrokenness
  noun

Etymology

Origin of heartbroken

First recorded in 1580–90; heart + broken

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

Appeared in the January 28, 2026, print edition as 'Apple Chief Cook Says He Feels Heartbroken'.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 28, 2026

Heartbroken after a breakup that was long overdue, crushed by a stalled entertainment industry and depressed by my temporary day job at a dementia center, I grasped at any semblance of stability.

From Los Angeles Times • May 10, 2024

Heartbroken to find their beachside beacon toppled in the ditch like a felled tree, Kelly and Gallichotte wasted no time repairing and reinforcing her to withstand big blows.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 14, 2023

Former colleague Laura Dement wrote on Facebook, "Heartbroken is the only word I can use to describe how I feel. I really don't have words to describe the depth of the feelings."

From BBC • Apr. 10, 2023

Heartbroken, he said, but as his own father had died in defence of the kingdom, so did his fair maiden.

From "A Monster Calls" by Patrick Ness

Related Words

• grief-stricken
• sad