yearning

noun

yearn·​ing ˈyər-niŋ How to pronounce yearning (audio)
: a tender or urgent longing
a yearning for justice

Examples of yearning in a Sentence

had a sudden yearning for something sweet
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.
People enjoyed the novelty of these more down-to-earth actors, but, as this becomes normalized, a yearning opens up for those who operate on the other extreme. Callum Booth, Forbes, 24 Feb. 2025 There’s a strange way, too, in which the goofiness reinforces the melancholy at the heart of his joke, a yearning for an entire range of interactions that have fallen to the wayside in a world that doesn’t have use for them. Ismail Muhammad, New York Times, 20 Feb. 2025 That should offer some encouragement ahead of a defining — and daunting — run of fixtures, given their desire to return to the Champions League and, most desperately, to end that 56-year yearning for silverware. Chris Waugh, The Athletic, 14 Feb. 2025 His is a kind of pathetic that inspires neither scorn nor pity, but a universal, sorrowful connection — his yearning for a different face is a consideration of what makes a human being legible and thus able to be understood, known, even loved. Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 12 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for yearning

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of yearning was before the 12th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Yearning.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/yearning. Accessed 5 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

yearning

noun
yearn·​ing
: a tender or eager longing

More from Merriam-Webster on yearning

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