yearning
Americannoun
-
deep longing, especially when accompanied by tenderness or sadness.
a widower's yearning for his wife.
-
an instance of such longing.
noun
Related Words
See desire.
Other Word Forms
- unyearning adjective
- yearningly adverb
Etymology
Origin of yearning
First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English gierninge; equivalent to yearn + -ing 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.
Her lyrical themes are familiar – yearning desire, romantic uncertainty – but there's a newfound freedom in dancing her cares away.
From BBC • Apr. 2, 2026
That's good news for fans who fell in love with the yearning empathy of early songs like Black Dog, Eugene and Weightless.
From BBC • Apr. 2, 2026
Ms. Peet’s portrayal, however, teases out Dianne’s yearning to be appreciated again.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 26, 2026
And I think that’s what Rachel, when we find her, that’s what she’s yearning for, that’s what she is struggling with.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 26, 2026
He too had heard them planning new adventures together, and he knew that come spring when his yearning to move west filled him that there would be no one to go with him.
From "Bless Me, Ultima" by Rudolfo Anaya
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.
