yearning

[yur-ning]

noun

1. deep longing, especially when accompanied by tenderness or sadness.

   a widower's yearning for his wife.

2. an instance of such longing.

ˈyearning

/ ˈjɜːnɪŋ /

noun

1. an intense or overpowering longing, desire, or need; craving

Other Word Forms

• yearningly adverb
• unyearning adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of yearning¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English gierninge; equivalent to yearn + -ing ¹

Synonym Study

See desire.

Example Sentences

Time-travelling to Swift's high school days in Tennessee, it reminisces about a boy she confined to the friend zone while yearning for a single kiss.

From BBC

The movie star’s mask of artifice briefly vanishes, and all that’s left is a puppy dog look of yearning, a sad acceptance that it’s too late to change certain things.

From Salon

Her latest single, a gorgeous, yearning ballad called I Just Don't Know You Yet, has been played four million times on Spotify.

From BBC

Finch does an excellent job of balancing these and other political and social elements while advancing the story of a detective yearning to reconnect at midlife to his sense of wonder and purpose.

From Los Angeles Times

“A lot of people are yearning for community, and I want to provide a community where it’s like, ‘Hey, you don’t really need alcohol,’” Ramirez said.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• ambition 
• appetite 
• aspiration 
• craving 
• eagerness 
• fascination 
• hankering 
• hunger 
• longing 
• passion 
• thirst