Heartbreaking Meaning
/hˈɑˌrtbreɪkɪŋ/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
adjThat causes great grief, anguish or distress.
nounThe breaking of a heart; great grief, anguish or distress.
Sentence Examples
It was a heartbreaking story.
Dan revealed heartbreaking truths.
It was heartbreaking to see the gazelle dying.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The very ____ news of the puppy's death made everyone cry.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
It was a truly ____ story about a young boy who lost his dog in the middle of a storm.
Word Origin & History
From heart + breaking.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Things went well with the clearing on Friday, but by Saturday, February 3, a 70 m.p.h. blizzard set in, and against such heartbreaking conditions, although an effort was made with the plough to keep open the sections cleared on the previous day, ground was gradually lost, [...]."
— 1941 April, “Notes and News: Railwaymen and Snow”, in Railway Magazine, page 177:
"But even with these caveats, it remains a stunning and heartbreaking piece of cinema that strikes a particular chord with LGBTQ+ viewers."
— 2025 June 20, Nick Levine, “'In every theatre, people would leave': How 'gay cowboy movie' Brokeback Mountain challenged Hollywood – and the US”, in BBC:
"One could argue that Eliot's "great heartbreakings" were the overt physical signs of the inner psychological transformations achieved through brainwashing, cultural attack, and epidemic mortality."
— 1999, Karen Gayton Swisher, John Tippeconnic, Next Steps: Research and Practice to Advance Indian Education, page 17:
Explore More B2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The very ____ news of the puppy's death made everyone cry.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
It was a truly ____ story about a young boy who lost his dog in the middle of a storm.