1
as in sad
causing unhappiness
a heartbreaking story of a family torn asunder by war
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in tragic
of a kind to cause great distress
the heartbreaking state of Main Street now that most of the businesses have closed
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in pathetic
deserving of one's pity
a heartbreaking attempt to escape that ends in disaster
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Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of heartbreaking
Below, see some of the most heartbreaking and powerful photos from the wildfires in Los Angeles.
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Stephanie Sengwe, People.com, 9 Jan. 2025
Looters that are taking advantage of this heartbreaking situation should get the full penalty.
—Paul Du Quenoy, Newsweek, 9 Jan. 2025
The Huskies showed promise without their second-best player for the second game in a row, despite a heartbreaking 68-66 road loss at Villanova.
—Joe Arruda, Hartford Courant, 9 Jan. 2025
Farrell played Oswald Cobb under layers of prosthetics, which didn’t stop him from delivering a surprisingly heartbreaking performance as Oz ascended to the top of Gotham’s criminal underworld, at great cost.
—Kate Aurthur, Variety, 6 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for heartbreaking 
Stephanie Sengwe, People.com, 9 Jan. 2025
Looters that are taking advantage of this heartbreaking situation should get the full penalty.
—Paul Du Quenoy, Newsweek, 9 Jan. 2025
The Huskies showed promise without their second-best player for the second game in a row, despite a heartbreaking 68-66 road loss at Villanova.
—Joe Arruda, Hartford Courant, 9 Jan. 2025
Farrell played Oswald Cobb under layers of prosthetics, which didn’t stop him from delivering a surprisingly heartbreaking performance as Oz ascended to the top of Gotham’s criminal underworld, at great cost.
—Kate Aurthur, Variety, 6 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for heartbreaking
Recent Examples of Synonyms for heartbreaking
Adjective
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Air France regrets this sad event and expresses its sincere condolences.Michael D. Carroll AND Theo Burman, Newsweek, 15 Jan. 2025
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But nothing in life is sadder than a reality television person who doesn't know when to retire.Dana Rose Falcone, People.com, 15 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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In Maui, the fund supported those who lost homes in the tragic fires in Lahaina and Kula by delivering $60 million directly to residents’ bank accounts in six months.Matt Donnelly, Variety, 8 Jan. 2025
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Olivia Culpo, the wife of San Francisco 49ers star running back Christian McCaffrey, has spoken out about the tragic wildfires raging throughout the Los Angeles area that have forced thousands to evacuate their homes.Paulina Dedaj, Fox News, 8 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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In the final, pathetic weeks of his failed presidency, Joe Biden has been casting about desperately for a positive legacy.Jack Butler, National Review, 12 Jan. 2025
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The 10th pick will be your usual pathetic Bear player.Jon Greenberg, The Athletic, 5 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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The depressing part is that the smear campaign worked.Nicole Page, IndieWire, 6 Jan. 2025
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In October, Lilium was scrambling for additional investments to keep the doors open and by late December the company announced that the only people still on the payroll would be handling the depressing job of liquidation.David Szondy, New Atlas, 5 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Having a professional to talk to can help process and unpack unfortunate changes, and point towards new possibilities.Chris Westfall, Forbes, 16 Jan. 2025
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Millions of businesses have been targeted, revealing the unfortunate truth: cybercrime has become a daily occurrence among various enterprises.William Jones, USA TODAY, 16 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Perhaps this weekend can be a get-right game against the pitiful New York Jets, but there’s not much to be excited about.Fox News Staff, Fox News, 13 Nov. 2024
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Mercifully, Newcastle came up against a Leicester side whose setup under Ruud van Nistelrooy was as naive as their defensive performance was pitiful.Chris Waugh, The Athletic, 16 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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With sleep disorders affecting approximately 70 million Americans and poor sleep linked to serious health risks like heart disease, stroke and cognitive decline, the Tone Buds represent a significant advancement in personal sleep technology.Kurt Knutsson, CyberGuy Report, Fox News, 12 Jan. 2025
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Everybody connected to the death of this poor guy is dead now.Makena Gera, People.com, 12 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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But for Israel and Gaza, the past 15 months have been a miserable failure, and from the perspective of negotiation, the only good news is that both sides taste some of the bitterness.Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 16 Jan. 2025
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That faction left the stadium miserable after Daniels’ fifth touchdown pass, a 9-yarder to Jamison Crowder with six seconds remaining, capped a 22-point fourth quarter as Washington rallied for a 36-33 win.Ben Standig, The Athletic, 16 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near heartbreaking
Cite this Entry
“Heartbreaking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/heartbreaking. Accessed 20 Jan. 2025.
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