yearning

[yur-ning]

noun

1. deep longing, especially when accompanied by tenderness or sadness.

   a widower's yearning for his wife.

2. an instance of such longing.

ˈyearning

/ ˈjɜːnɪŋ /

noun

1. an intense or overpowering longing, desire, or need; craving

Other Word Forms

• yearningly adverb
• unyearning adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of yearning¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English gierninge; equivalent to yearn + -ing ¹

Synonym Study

See desire.

Example Sentences

When I was trying to find the throughline here, I was thinking about the subject matter: There’s a lot of love and yearning here.

From Los Angeles Times

The songs were tightly written, embracing everything from country to 80s synth pop, but it was the lyrics – full of solitary yearning and thwarted romance - that really connected.

From BBC

Given how violently the world is spiraling, it’s natural to connect to these lonesome yearnings.

From Salon

His longstanding collaboration with clarinetist John Carter set the template for post-bop in L.A., charged with possibility but lyrical and yearning.

From Los Angeles Times

How does your lover talk about their exes — with wistful yearning, or are they matter-of-fact when opening up about how they’ve grown through relationships?

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• ambition 
• appetite 
• aspiration 
• craving 
• eagerness 
• fascination 
• hankering 
• hunger 
• longing 
• passion 
• thirst