yearning

[ yur-ning ]

/ ˈyɜr nɪŋ /

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See synonyms for: yearning / yearningly on Thesaurus.com

noun

deep longing, especially when accompanied by tenderness or sadness: a widower's yearning for his wife.

an instance of such longing.

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Origin of yearning

before 900; Middle English; Old English gierninge.See yearn, -ing¹

synonym study for yearning

1. See desire.

OTHER WORDS FROM yearning

yearn·ing·ly, adverbun·yearn·ing, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use yearning in a sentence

She rose from her knees and looked yearningly at the lover of her youth.
A German Pompadour|Marie Hay
She held out her hands yearningly to him, as if she would shield him, or as if she wanted him to shield her from the sharp words.
The Shadow of Ashlydyat|Mrs. Henry Wood
She looked at him yearningly, for she realized that she had made him do things her way—this wild, unpractical, artistic soul.
The "Genius"|Theodore Dreiser
She moved away and he followed her with his eyes, yearningly, burningly, until she reached the door.
The "Genius"|Theodore Dreiser

The younger brother turned away, and looked yearningly to the mountains.
The Lily and the Totem|William Gilmore Simms

British Dictionary definitions for yearning

yearning

/ (ˈjɜːnɪŋ) /

noun

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

Derived forms of yearning

yearningly, adverb

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

yearning

Origin of yearning

synonym study for yearning

OTHER WORDS FROM yearning

Words related to yearning

How to use yearning in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for yearning

Derived forms of yearning