1
as in sad
causing unhappiness
a heartbreaking story of a family torn asunder by war
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in tragic
of a kind to cause great distress
the heartbreaking state of Main Street now that most of the businesses have closed
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in pathetic
deserving of one's pity
a heartbreaking attempt to escape that ends in disaster
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of heartbreaking
That's a heartbreaking reality witnessed day in, day out at facilities like AGWC Rockin' Rescue.
—
Jack Beresford, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Sep. 2025
Behavioral Economics Of Loss Aversion Nobel laureate Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky’s prospect theory revolutionized our understanding of why losses—like a sports team’s heartbreaking defeat—inflict disproportionate pain.
—Richard Menger Md Mpa, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
The devastation was swift and heartbreaking and resulted in one of the worst natural disasters in the area’s history.
—Graham Averill, Outside, 16 Sep. 2025
The Carolina Panthers suffered a heartbreaking loss to the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday evening.
—Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 15 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for heartbreaking
Jack Beresford, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Sep. 2025
Behavioral Economics Of Loss Aversion Nobel laureate Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky’s prospect theory revolutionized our understanding of why losses—like a sports team’s heartbreaking defeat—inflict disproportionate pain.
—Richard Menger Md Mpa, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
The devastation was swift and heartbreaking and resulted in one of the worst natural disasters in the area’s history.
—Graham Averill, Outside, 16 Sep. 2025
The Carolina Panthers suffered a heartbreaking loss to the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday evening.
—Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 15 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for heartbreaking
Recent Examples of Synonyms for heartbreaking
Adjective
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This one is trickier and sadder to think about.—
Brian Welk,
IndieWire,
12 Sep. 2025
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Composite image created by Newsweek shows two older people looking worried and a piggy bank with a sad face on its side.—
Aliss Higham,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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And these are -- these are very tragic circumstances that impact all of us.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
14 Sep. 2025
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Before Experience Hendrix After Hendrix’s tragic death, production of the guitarist’s music was in the hands of his allegedly exploitative manager, Michael Jeffery who died in a mysterious 1973 plane crash.—
Mike Alleyne Ph.D,
Forbes.com,
13 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Jimmy Kimmel is a pathetic hate monger.—
Dave Smith,
Fortune,
18 Sep. 2025
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The festival was washed out by weather, promised luxury accommodations and food were nowhere to be found (except for some pathetic cheese sandwiches), and guests only stayed one night of what was supposed to be a two-week experience.—
Greta Cross,
USA Today,
17 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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In the end, the depressing counter, which ended in the red, was pumped up by a pair of donations from Bargatze and CBS, bringing the end total to $350,000.—
Sandra Gonzalez,
CNN Money,
15 Sep. 2025
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The amount of layoffs that would result from this merger is depressing to consider.—
Josef Adalian,
Vulture,
11 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Therefore, there are some unfortunate parallels between young Gen Z needing to sacrifice wages due to wavering job opportunities and millennials graduating into the Great Recession.—
Sasha Rogelberg,
Fortune,
16 Sep. 2025
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In today's volatile business climate, layoffs have become an unfortunate reality across industries.—
Caroline Castrillon,
Forbes.com,
16 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The pitiful screaming of surviving family members can be heard.—
Paul Tilsley,
FOXNews.com,
12 Sep. 2025
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As del Toro sees it, Frankenstein’s pitiful creation has been cursed with life, cannot be killed (even bullets don’t stop him) and must face the same existential crisis that confronts us all.—
Peter Debruge,
Variety,
30 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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The poll also found that 51% of respondents perceive the current state of the economy as poor, and 61% express a lack of confidence that the economy will improve next year.—
Naomi Lim,
The Washington Examiner,
18 Sep. 2025
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Low User Adoption Due To Poor Onboarding The primary hurdle is often low user adoption due to poor onboarding and a steep learning curve.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes.com,
18 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Meanwhile, Jeremiah is miserable, has nowhere to live, and is trying to find meaning through meaningless flings.—
Olivia Petter,
Vogue,
16 Sep. 2025
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The Arizona Cardinals and head coach Jonathan Gannon made life miserable for Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young and head coach Dave Canales, from start to finish, Sunday at State Farm Stadium.—
DIAMOND VENCES,
Charlotte Observer,
14 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Heartbreaking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/heartbreaking. Accessed 21 Sep. 2025.
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