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Synonyms

lovesick

American  
[luhv-sik] / ˈlʌvˌsɪk /

adjective

  1. languishing with love.

    a lovesick adolescent.

  2. expressive of such languishing.

    a lovesick note.


lovesick British  
/ ˈlʌvˌsɪk /

adjective

  1. pining or languishing because of love

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of lovesick

First recorded in 1520–30; love + sick 1

Explanation

When someone's lovesick, they are broken-hearted or so distracted by love that it affects their daily life. You might be lovesick if your love took off for Bali (unless of course you have plans to take off for Bali too). There are many different reasons for being lovesick: a lovesick boy might have a crush on a girl who barely notices him, and a lovesick teenager could be overwhelmed by feeling such strong emotions for the first time. Your grandmother's collection of old letters might include the ones she wrote as a new, lovesick wife when your grandfather was in the Army. Lovesick dates from the sixteenth century.

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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.

See Examples For:

One 25-page text seen by AFP suggested workers adopt the persona of "Abby", a lovesick 35-year-old Japanese woman.

From Barron's Oct. 14, 2025

And while Cecil was lovesick, Penelope was apparently sick of love.

From BBC Aug. 2, 2025

Another harmless lovesick fan wanting to see a star, the guard thought; there were a couple every week.

From Los Angeles Times May 8, 2024

Throughout the film, we see Dovydas enthusiastically performing a kind of sign language karaoke against a vivid blue backdrop; his facial expressions are like a lovesick balladeer.

From New York Times May 2, 2024

I wrote to Johnny, two or three stupid, lovesick emails asking him to find out about Gat.

From "We Were Liars" by E. Lockhart

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