yearning
[ yur-ning ]
/ ˈyɜr nɪŋ /
noun
deep longing, especially when accompanied by tenderness or sadness: a widower's yearning for his wife.
an instance of such longing.
Nearby words
yearling, yearlong, yearly, yearly meeting, yearn, yearning, yearningly, yeasayer, yeast, yeast cake, yeast nucleic acid
Related formsyearn·ing·ly, adverbun·yearn·ing, adjective
Synonym study
1. See desire.
Definition for yearning (2 of 2)
yearn
[ yurn ]
/ yɜrn /
verb (used without object)
to have an earnest or strong desire; long: to yearn for a quiet vacation.
to feel tenderness; be moved or attracted: They yearned over their delicate child.
Origin of yearn
before 900; Middle English yernen, Old English giernan derivative of georn eager; akin to Old Norse girna to desire, Greek chaírein to rejoice, Sanskrit háryati (he) desires
SYNONYMS FOR yearn
1 Yearn, long, hanker, pine all mean to feel a powerful desire for something. Yearn stresses the depth and passionateness of a desire: to yearn to get away and begin a new life; to yearn desperately for recognition. Long implies a wholehearted desire for something that is or seems unattainable: to long to relive one's childhood; to long for the warmth of summer. Hanker suggests a restless or incessant craving to fulfill some urge or desire: to hanker for a promotion; to hanker after fame and fortune. Pine adds the notion of physical or emotional suffering as a result of the real or apparent hopelessness of one's desire: to pine for one's native land; to pine for a lost love.
Related formsyearn·er, nounun·yearned, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for yearning
British Dictionary definitions for yearning (1 of 2)
yearning
/ (ˈjɜːnɪŋ) /
noun
an intense or overpowering longing, desire, or need; craving
Derived Formsyearningly, adverb
British Dictionary definitions for yearning (2 of 2)
yearn
/ (jɜːn) /
verb (intr)
(usually foll by for or after or an infinitive) to have an intense desire or longing (for); pine (for)
to feel tenderness or affection
Derived Formsyearner, noun
Word Origin for yearn
Old English giernan; related to Old Saxon girnian, Old Norse girna, Gothic gairnjan, Old High German gerōn to long for, Sanskrit haryati he likes
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