yearned-for
- adjective
- /jɪrnd fɔr/
- After months of searching, she finally found the job she had yearned for since graduating.
- peoples yearned-for reunion
Examples
-
He had always yearned for adventure, and finally decided to travel the world.
-
Now, with hindsight and a little bit more maturity, I look back and yearn for missed opportunities.
Fiction book (1997) -
Lee is the son I have always yearned for.
-
How I yearned for her.
-
The truth is that she yearned for nothing so much as children of her own.
Fiction book (1997) -
The truth was, he could not free himself from yearning for her touch.
Fiction book (1997) -
For four years he had lived in his imagination, yearning for the day when he might return to his studies.
Academic text (2011) -
Now even his own parties did not give him the excitement he yearned for.
Fiction book (1990) -
Who would have guessed that his heart was full of romance and his soul yearned for love?
Fiction book (1990) -
Urban-dwelling Hispanos continue to yearn for traditional corridos that are rooted in the rural areas.
Academic text (2002)
Synonyms
Wanted or expected because people want a good result
A thing people want and hope for after many years
Wanted by many people and hard to find
Wanted by many people
Wanted very much and hoped for
Wanted by many people because it is rare or special
Having a very strong desire for something
Something that people want very much
A person or thing many people are looking for
Expected with hope or excitement
Antonyms
How Desired
Surface Forms
Morphology
yearned-for = yearned (transparent) = for + yearn + ed
The hyphenated adjective is clearly built from the past participle 'yearned' plus the preposition 'for', so learners who know 'yearn' and the phrase 'yearn for' can infer the meaning. [Postprocessing: moved 'for' from base_words to prefix]
Etymology
The word yearned-for comes from the old English verb yearn 'to long for' or 'want strongly', plus the small word for, and it names something people have wanted for a long time. That's why a yearned-for thing is not just wanted but has been much hoped for.