Synonyms

pining

American

[pahy-ning] / ˈpaɪ nɪŋ /

adjective

suffering with or expressing longing or yearning for someone or something.

Exposing her vulnerability and loneliness, the poet addresses her country as would a pining woman in a letter to her beloved in a distant land.
Her pining vocals on these tracks throb with the loneliness and emptiness of fresh separation.
failing gradually in health or vitality, especially from grief, regret, or longing.

The day after the altercation he took sick, and continued in a pining and languishing condition till his death, which soon ensued.

noun

the act or state of yearning or longing, or of gradually failing in health or vitality.

It’s a story of the pining we all feel for the pleasures of our childhood and the relationships that once held us in safety.

Etymology

Origin of pining

First recorded in 1200–50; pin(e) ² ( def. ) + -ing ² ( def. ) for the adjective senses; pin(e) ² ( def. ) + -ing ¹ ( def. ) for the noun sense

Vocabulary lists containing pining

Anton Yelchin (1989-2016) Tribute List

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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.

“I’m pining so badly,” he later implored, “I could throw myself down on the ground before you!”

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026

Speaking to the BBC from New York, Baranski said she had been pining to return to her theatre roots for some time.

From BBC • Apr. 16, 2026

There’s no evidence that this generation intends to make pining their only romantic activity; it’s more that they are very content, at the moment, to luxuriate in the many conduits for yearning available to them.

From Salon • Feb. 21, 2026

These include that Takeshi Okawara, the manager of Japan's first KFC outlet, overheard foreigners pining for turkey, which is often eaten at Christmas in Britain and the United States.

From Barron's • Dec. 3, 2025

It’s a Friday night, and were not at the Waffle House, and we’re not playing Assassin’s Creed in Nick’s basement, and we’re not pining for Blue.

From "Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda" by Becky Albertalli

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023