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heartsickness

heartsickness

8.3
A deep, painful sadness from missing someone or something
  • noun
  • /ˈhɑrtˌsɪk.nəs/
translation icon : desconsuelo
  • But what was my horror and heartsickness when I found signs of her virginity wanting?

Examples

  • I think Obama isn't going to sleep too well tonight due to a little heartsickness.

    Blog text (1)
  • He was in no pain of any sort, except for shock and heartsickness.

    Fiction book (1997)
  • She screamed and turned to dust, ending the immediate danger but bequeathing heartsickness to the brother who survived ("Graveyard Mansion");

    Academic text (2015)
  • After the breakup, she was overwhelmed by feelings of heartsickness as she remembered their happy moments together.

  • He tried to hide his heartsickness after losing the job he loved, but the pain was evident in his eyes.

  • The unexpected end of their relationship left him in a state of heartsickness, longing for what once was.

Synonyms

grief
vsheartsickness
443 2.1

Deep sadness after you lose someone or something important

is sadness from longing or disappointment rather than only sadness after loss
heartache
vsheartsickness
79 4.8

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

is sadness from longing or disappointment rather than only general sorrow
heartbreak
vsheartsickness
76 3.9

A very strong sadness after losing someone you love

is sadness from longing or disappointment rather than specifically loss of a loved one
broken heart
vsheartsickness
64 3.4

Deep sadness and pain you feel after losing or being rejected by someone you love

is sadness tied to longing rather than solely to relationship loss or rejection
heavy heart
vsheartsickness
14 4.0

A very sad feeling because of a loss or bad news

is sadness from longing or disappointment rather than a general sorrowful state
despondency
vsheartsickness
4 8.3

A strong feeling of sadness and loss of hope after something bad

is sadness tied to longing rather than mainly a lack of hope
despondence
vsheartsickness
1 8.8

A feeling of deep sadness and no hope

is sadness tied to longing or disappointment rather than general loss of hope
disconsolateness
vsheartsickness
9.9

A deep sadness that nothing can comfort

is sadness linked to longing or disappointment rather than absolute inability to be comforted
brokenheartedness
vsheartsickness
7.5

Deep sadness after losing someone you love

is sadness from longing or disappointment rather than only grief over loss
heavyheartedness
vsheartsickness
7.7

A feeling of deep sadness and loss

is sadness tied to longing or disappointment rather than general emotional burden
sorrowfulness
vsheartsickness
6.3

A deep feeling of sadness about a loss

is sadness that includes longing or painful hopelessness rather than a neutral quality

Antonyms

joy
793 1.0

A strong feeling of great happiness

26 2.1

A feeling of being happy and satisfied with your life

5 1.3

A feeling that good things will happen

How Sad

despair
210 3.5
heartbreak
76 3.9
heartsickness
8.3
sadness
229 1.0
unhappiness
42 1.8

Surface Forms

heartsickness singular

Morphology

heartsickness = heart-sick (transparent) = heart + sick + ness

Formed from the adjective 'heart-sick' plus the productive noun-forming suffix '-ness', so the noun meaning ('state of being heart-sick') is directly derived and understandable.

Etymology

Heartsickness is made from heart and sickness, where heart stands for your feelings and sickness means illness. So it pictures a 'sickness of the heart' and explains why the word means deep, painful sadness or longing.