yearning

noun

yearn·​ing ˈyər-niŋ How to pronounce yearning (audio)
: a tender or urgent longing
a yearning for justice

Examples of yearning in a Sentence

had a sudden yearning for something sweet
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The collecting of hair is, in short, a deeply unrelatable manifestation of deeply relatable emotions: love, grief, nostalgia, yearning. Margaret Talbot, New Yorker, 21 July 2025 Her second novel, The Art of Vanishing (Knopf Canada, 2024), is about female friendship and creative yearning set against a backdrop of Japan’s 1970s art world. Edmond Lee, Hazlitt, 16 July 2025 But when death feels that close, that tangible, something else begins to grow inside, a powerful yearning for life, almost a kind of existential rebellion. Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 10 July 2025 Still, the lovers’ sense of yearning and jealousy just isn’t that palpable. Emily McClanathan, Chicago Tribune, 6 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for yearning

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of yearning was before the 12th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Yearning.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/yearning. Accessed 6 Aug. 2025.

Kids Definition

yearning

noun
yearn·​ing
: a tender or eager longing

More from Merriam-Webster on yearning

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!