heartbroken

adjective

heart·​bro·​ken ˈhärt-ˌbrō-kən 

: overcome by sorrow

Synonyms

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

Examples of heartbroken in a Sentence

not as heartbroken over missing out on the trip to New York as I thought she would be

was utterly heartbroken when his pet dog died

Recent Examples on the Web

Boldt hired 300 workers to construct the six-story, 120-room castle outfitted with a drawbridge and tower, but when Louise died suddenly in 1904, the heartbroken Boldt halted construction and never returned to the island. —Gulnaz Khan, AFAR Media, 13 Feb. 2025

There are similar Valentine’s Day opportunities geared toward the heartbroken. —Megan Forrester, ABC News, 12 Feb. 2025

Carrey effectively plays against type as the heartbroken Joel, but the movie belongs to Winslet, who delivers one of her best performances as a character who seems like a classic manic pixie dream girl — but then turns the trope on its head. —Janey Tracey, EW.com, 7 Feb. 2025

Our community is heartbroken and our hearts go out to everyone that's been impacted. —Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1572, in the meaning defined above