heartbreaking
Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.
Also seen as: heartbreakings
Sense 1
Meaning · English
That causes great grief, anguish or distress.
Adjective
Examples
Near-synonyms: heartrending, heartwrenching
Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)
Sources & notes
Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).
Sense 2
Meaning · English
The breaking of a heart; great grief, anguish or distress.
Noun
Examples
One could argue that Eliot's "great heartbreakings" were the overt physical signs of the inner psychological transformations achieved through brainwashing, cultural attack, and epidemic mortality.
Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)
Sources & notes
Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).
Common questions
What does “heartbreaking” mean?
That causes great grief, anguish or distress.
Is “heartbreaking” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.