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 ˈyearning¹

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

Synonym Study

See desire.

Related Words

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