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broken heart

broken heart

64 3.4
Deep sadness and pain you feel after losing or being rejected by someone you love
  • noun
  • /ˈbroʊkən hɑrt/
translation icon : corazón roto
  • You were getting over your broken heart.

But we tend to minimize broken hearts, and that's not right.

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Examples

  • This girl will leave me with a broken heart

  • Anyone who has ever suffered grief, loss, or a broken heart knows this too.

    Fiction book (1997)
  • Do you have anything for a broken heart?

  • This is the face of a broken heart.

  • If that goes, is it possible that she would die of a broken heart?

    Fiction book (1991)
  • "Maybe some food will help your broken heart," he said.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • You see, the princess died of a broken heart.

  • I might have a broken heart, but I won't hold back tonight.

  • I tried to be more angry than sad, but my broken heart wouldn't permit it.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • Anyone who has ever suffered grief, loss, or a broken heart knows this too.

Synonyms

grief
vsbroken heart
443 2.1

Deep sadness after you lose someone or something important

is similar but adds romantic refusal as a common cause
sadness
vsbroken heart
229 1.0

A feeling of being unhappy

indicates deeper, often love related emotional pain rather than mild unhappiness
heartache
vsbroken heart
79 4.8

Strong emotional pain you feel after losing someone or when love fails

is broader, covering deep pain from loss or rejection generally
heartbreak
vsbroken heart
76 3.9

A very strong sadness after losing someone you love

is similar but includes pain from rejection as well
heavy heart
vsbroken heart
14 4.0

A very sad feeling because of a loss or bad news

is more about sharp personal pain from loss or refusal
deep sorrow
vsbroken heart
4 3.7

A very strong feeling of sadness after a great loss

is similar but usually ties to romantic loss or refusal
lovesickness
vsbroken heart
1 7.7

A deep sadness and strong wish to be with a person you care about

covers that distress but also sudden loss or harsh refusal
brokenheartedness
vsbroken heart
7.5

Deep sadness after losing someone you love

is about pain also caused by refusal or breakup
heartsickness
vsbroken heart
8.3

A deep, painful sadness from missing someone or something

is focused more on pain caused by direct loss or refusal
sorrowfulness
vsbroken heart
6.3

A deep feeling of sadness about a loss

is narrower, tied specifically to losing or being refused by a loved one

Antonyms

joy
155 1.0

A person or thing that brings happiness to others

26 2.1

A feeling of being happy and satisfied with your life

How Heartbroken

despair
210 3.5
broken heart
64 3.4
grief
443 2.1
sorrow
243 2.1
sadness
229 1.0

Surface Forms

broken heart singular
broken hearts plural

Morphology

broken + heart

The meaning 'a feeling of deep emotional pain' is directly inferable from combining 'broken' (damaged, brought low) with 'heart' (the center of emotions): the metaphor of a 'broken' heart transparently maps physical damage to emotional hurt. This image is cross-linguistically common and conventional in English, so an average B1 learner who knows both constituents will very likely understand the MWE.

Etymology

Broken heart may come from the simple image of a real heart being cracked or broken when love is lost. That's why it now means 'deep emotional pain' or 'grief'.