nostalgia

noun

nos·​tal·​gia nä-ˈstal-jə How to pronounce nostalgia (audio)
nə-,
 also  nȯ-,
nō-;
nə-ˈstäl-
1
: a wistful or excessively sentimental yearning for return to or of some past period or irrecoverable condition
also : something that evokes nostalgia
2
: the state of being homesick : homesickness
nostalgist
nä-ˈstal-jist How to pronounce nostalgia (audio)
nə-
 also  nȯ-
nō-;
nə-ˈstäl-
noun
plural nostalgists
… is no nostalgist chasing the resurrection of the grand old days. Joe O'Connor

Examples of nostalgia in a Sentence

My own feelings were that since I'd jettisoned employment, marriage, nostalgia and swampy regret, I was now rightfully a man aquiver with possibility and purpose … Richard Ford, Independence Day, 1995
… the script is written in advance, around the uplifting themes of our civic religion: reconciliation, patriotism, self-sacrifice, the bond of leader and little guy, nostalgia for what is inevitably called "a simpler time." Katha Pollitt, Nation, 22 May 1995
Nevertheless, if one understands the nostalgia for war which marked these years of his break with America, it still remains a nostalgia that is empyreal and histrionic. Only once in his career did MacArthur lead as small a body of men as a company—one somehow feels that the idea of MacArthur, even as a boy, in command of anything less than a division verges on the ludicrous … William Styron, "MacArthur," 8 Oct. 1964, in This Quiet Dust and Other Writings1982
A wave of nostalgia swept over me when I saw my childhood home. He was filled with nostalgia for his college days.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Vintage music cues are designed to either evoke nostalgia, meta-commentary, or some flavorless combination of both. David Fear, Rolling Stone, 14 Mar. 2025 Channeling ’70s nostalgia, the collection features archival prints, vintage patches, and effortlessly chic silhouettesStandout pieces include the flowy Malibu Mini Dress, inspired by ’70s silhouettes with intricate detailing along the hem, sleeves, and neckline. Mecca Pryor, Essence, 14 Mar. 2025 Unveiled on Friday, their collection features latex as its main star, embracing ultra-feminine silhouettes with a touch of nostalgia. Renan Botelho, WWD, 14 Mar. 2025 Its flavors evoked a kind of nostalgia—like eating sunflower seeds on a sunny day at the ballpark—but also boasted a sophisticated richness the other butters lacked. Sam Stone, Bon Appétit, 13 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for nostalgia

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from New Latin, from Greek nóstos "return, homecoming" (nominal derivative, with o-ablaut and the suffix -to-, from the base of néomai, neîsthai "to come/go [home, back], return") + -o- -o- + -algia -algia; néomai going back to the Indo-European verbal base *nes- "escape danger, return safely," whence also Germanic *nesan- "to be saved, return safely" (whence Old English nesan, genesan "to be saved, survive" [strong verb class V], Old Saxon ginesan "to be saved, convalesce," Old High German, "to recover, be saved," Gothic ganisan "to be saved"), Sanskrit násate "approaches, resorts to someone, joins"; from a causative stem *nos-éi̯e- Germanic *nazjan-, whence Old English nerian "to save, preserve," Old Frisian nera "to save, nourish, Old Saxon nerian "to rescue, redeem, nourish," Old High German nerien, nerren "to nourish, support, save, heal," Gothic nasjan "to save, heal"; and from lengthened grade *nōzjan- Old Icelandic nœra "to refresh, nourish"

Note: The Latin word nostalgia was coined by the physician Johannes Hofer (1669-1752), a native of Mühlhausen/Mulhouse in Alsace, in his doctoral thesis Dissertatio medica de ΝΟΣΤΑΛΓΙΑ, oder Heimwehe (Basel, 1688), as a calque of the German word Heimweh. — Also assigned to the Indo-European verbal base *nes- by some are Tocharian A nasam, B nesau "(I) am," though Douglas Adams (A Dictionary of Tocharian B, Revised and Enlarged, Rodopi, 2013, s.v.) proposes a more attractive solution.

First Known Use

1756, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of nostalgia was in 1756

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Nostalgia.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nostalgia. Accessed 24 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

nostalgia

noun
nos·​tal·​gia nä-ˈstal-jə How to pronounce nostalgia (audio)
nə-
: a longing for something past
nostalgic adjective
nostalgically adverb

Medical Definition

nostalgia

noun
1
: the state of being homesick
2
: a wistful or excessively sentimental sometimes abnormal yearning for return to or of some past period or irrecoverable condition
nostalgic adjective
nostalgically adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on nostalgia

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