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Synonyms

homesick

American  
[hohm-sik] / ˈhoʊmˌsɪk /

adjective

  1. sad or depressed from a longing for home or family while away from them for a long time.

homesick British  
/ ˈhəʊmˌsɪk /

adjective

  1. depressed or melancholy at being away from home and family

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • homesickness noun

Etymology

Origin of homesick

First recorded in 1790–1800; home + sick 1

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Even with all that milieu and surrounded by many of their countrymen, some Americans still get homesick.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 16, 2026

When I first made the big decision to leave behind my hometown suburb of Washington, D.C., and move to New York City, I never anticipated ever feeling homesick.

From Salon • Jan. 25, 2026

He was homesick, but he wanted her to know he was OK.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 23, 2025

While I’m not homesick, I did think the only good part of Hubert Charuel’s “Meteors,” an addiction-themed buddy dramedy, was when a character wore a vintage Lakers jersey.

From Los Angeles Times • May 23, 2025

He would have felt lonely and homesick, had Charlotte not been with him.

From "Charlotte's Web" by E.B. White

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.