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

In the original visual, the Grammy winner plays a heartbroken character named Peaches who has all traces of her ex wiped from her hippocampus, an homage to Michel Gondry’s 2004 film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. —Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 26 Mar. 2025

Seven Oaks parents ‘heartbroken’ Five Seven Oaks parents reached out to the Statesman to express disappointment with the removal of the bulletin board. —Rose Evans, Idaho Statesman, 25 Mar. 2025

But in a confessional, Stacey weeps while sympathizing with her heartbroken friend. —Abigail Adams, People.com, 14 Mar. 2025

Meanwhile, Long Live Curt, a tribute to a close friend who died, could fit on a DJ set with the heartbroken singalongs of fellow Floridians like St. Petersburg’s Rod Wave and Jacksonville’s Lil Poppa. —Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 14 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1572, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for heartbroken

• awoken
• betoken
• outspoken
• unbroken
• unspoken
• broken
• oaken
• spoken
• token
• woken