brokenhearted

adjective

bro·​ken·​heart·​ed ˈbrō-kən-ˈhär-təd 

: overcome by grief or despair

Synonyms

• bad
• blue
• cast down
• crestfallen
• dejected
• depressed
• despondent
• disconsolate
• doleful
• down
• down in the mouth
• downcast
• downhearted
• droopy
• forlorn
• gloomy
• glum
• hangdog
• heartbroken
• heartsick
• heartsore
• heavyhearted
• inconsolable
• joyless
• low
• low-spirited
• melancholic
• melancholy
• miserable
• mournful
• sad
• saddened
• sorrowful
• sorry
• unhappy
• woebegone
• woeful
• wretched

Examples of brokenhearted in a Sentence

She was brokenhearted when her boyfriend left her.

she was brokenhearted when the relationship ended

Recent Examples on the Web

And having already proven her scary-movie bona fides with last year’s Heretic, Thatcher does a lot of the heavy lifting here, and brings a real sense of brokenhearted bewilderment, existential dread, and eventually, an avenging-angel sense of righteousness to Iris. —David Fear, Rolling Stone, 31 Jan. 2025

Alice Hulme from Wellingborough, in Northamptonshire in the U.K. might not have gone through what Simpson has physiologically but there's no doubting she's brokenhearted following the death of her French Bulldog, Paddington. —Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 25 Jan. 2025

At the top of the third episode, the Jackal assumes the role of some dead rich person’s brokenhearted progeny, visiting a high-end German funeral home to extract sensitive information from its computer system. —Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 28 Nov. 2024

And what better place for a brokenhearted person to escape? —Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 19 Apr. 2024

On his confessional third studio album, Something to Give Each Other, Troye Sivan explores all the ways that love can be shared — and taken away — while offering a buoyant rallying cry for the brokenhearted. —Tim Chan, Rolling Stone, 16 Oct. 2023

No excess of sentiment whatsoever, though, good lord, there could have been, since the live musical accompaniment is a string of brokenhearted hits from the 1960s by songwriters Burt Bacharach and Hal David. —Sarah L. Kaufman, Washington Post, 27 Oct. 2022

What if all the brokenhearted people living in the world agreed? —Pat Myers, Washington Post, 11 Aug. 2022

In the foreground, Chase and Konner focus on their sad coming-of-age fable, hinging on a brokenhearted betrayal involving Tony and Dickie. —Michael Phillips, chicagotribune.com, 29 Sep. 2021

Word History

First Known Use

1526, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for brokenhearted

• carted
• charted
• darted
• hearted
• parted
• smarted
• started
• departed
• halfhearted
• imparted
• kindhearted
• lighthearted

Kids Definition

brokenhearted

adjective

bro·​ken·​heart·​ed ˌbrō-kən-ˈhärt-əd 

: overwhelmed by grief