heartbreaking
adjective
heart·break·ing
ˈhärt-ˌbrā-kiŋ 
1
: causing intense sorrow or distress
heartbreaking news
a heartbreaking defeat
2
: producing an intense emotional reaction or response
heartbreaking beauty
Examples of heartbreaking in a Sentence
She wrote a heartbreaking story about the death of her grandfather.
It was heartbreaking to know that there was nothing I could do.
The team suffered another heartbreaking defeat.
Recent Examples on the Web
Redditors React The heartbreaking Reddit post reached over 27,000 upvotes and 546 comments as of Thursday.
—
Raja Krishnamoorthi, Newsweek, 13 Mar. 2025
New heartbreaking details are coming to light about the tragic deaths of Gene Hackman, his wife Betsy Arakawa Hackman and their dog Zinna, and the role the couple’s other two dogs played in locating their bodies.
—Rachel McRady, People.com, 13 Mar. 2025
What people said after the game While proud of his team’s efforts, Atlético Madrid’s manager Diego Simeone was visibly frustrated by the heartbreaking manner in which his side bowed out.
—Ben Church, CNN, 13 Mar. 2025
The Golden Eagles fell to 0-5 in the Final Four, a heartbreaking defeat that left their strong student section in stunned silence.
—Kyle Newman, The Denver Post, 13 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for heartbreaking
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Raja Krishnamoorthi, Newsweek, 13 Mar. 2025
New heartbreaking details are coming to light about the tragic deaths of Gene Hackman, his wife Betsy Arakawa Hackman and their dog Zinna, and the role the couple’s other two dogs played in locating their bodies.
—Rachel McRady, People.com, 13 Mar. 2025
What people said after the game While proud of his team’s efforts, Atlético Madrid’s manager Diego Simeone was visibly frustrated by the heartbreaking manner in which his side bowed out.
—Ben Church, CNN, 13 Mar. 2025
The Golden Eagles fell to 0-5 in the Final Four, a heartbreaking defeat that left their strong student section in stunned silence.
—Kyle Newman, The Denver Post, 13 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for heartbreaking
Cite this Entry
“Heartbreaking.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/heartbreaking. Accessed 23 Mar. 2025.
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