longing
Americannoun
-
strong, persistent desire or craving, especially for something unattainable or distant.
filled with longing for home.
- Synonyms:
- aspiration
- Antonyms:
- apathy
-
an instance of this.
a sudden longing to see old friends.
adjective
noun
adjective
Related Words
See desire.
Other Word Forms
- longingly adverb
- longingness noun
Etymology
Origin of longing
First recorded before 1000; Middle English; Old English langung; equivalent to long 2 + -ing 1
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.
Stick with me... the real drama comes as Eriko befriends a blogger she follows on social media, but things soon become sour as her longing for companionship turns to obsession.
From BBC
Introduced by nostalgic strings, Folded became Kehlani's first Top 10 hit in her native US, blending classic R&B themes of heartbreak and longing with modern production.
From BBC
“The Boy Next Door,” which Garland made famous in the 1944 film “Meet Me in St. Louis,” tells a tale of heterosexual longing hiding in plain sight.
From Los Angeles Times
As a Jew, I was especially drawn to the teachings of Martin Luther King Jr., for whom Zionism—the Jewish longing for self-determination—was inseparable from the universal struggle for human rights.
The Salvadoran mother of two said she felt her baby grow inside her as the days passed and she settled into a heartsore rhythm, bonding with strangers longing for children, family and home.
From Los Angeles Times
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.
