WordGarden.ioheartache
C2Pronunciation
UK
- /hˈɑːteɪk/
US
- /ˈhɑrˌteɪk/
Meanings
Noun
deep emotional pain or sorrow
Beyond the definition
This is the deep emotional pain that comes from loss, longing, or strong disappointment. People often think of it as something tied to romance, and it can follow a breakup or rejection, but it also appears after the death of a loved one, a broken friendship, or the loss of a dream. It can feel heavy and personal, as if sadness has settled into the chest and refuses to leave.
Sometimes it stays as a quiet sorrow for a long time. Sometimes it comes in waves and makes even ordinary moments feel hard. It is part of being human, and it often shows how deeply someone cared about a person, a hope, or a life they wanted.
Heartache is deep emotional suffering caused by loss, disappointment, rejection, or longing. It is often connected with love and romance, such as the pain after a breakup, unreturned feelings, or betrayal. But the word is not limited to romance. It can also describe the sorrow of losing a family member, missing someone far away, watching a friendship fall apart, or seeing an important hope fail.
People often describe it as if emotional pain has become physical. There may be a heavy feeling in the chest, a sense of emptiness, or a dull ache that stays in the background of the day. It can affect sleep, appetite, focus, and the desire to be around other people. Sometimes it is sharp and sudden; sometimes it is quiet and lasting.
The word carries a human, personal tone. It is not usually used for small everyday frustrations. Instead, it suggests pain that reaches deeply into someone's inner life. That is why it appears so often in stories, songs, and personal memories. A person may feel it after losing love, losing trust, or losing something they once believed their life would become.
In the end, heartache points to real sorrow born from caring deeply. It is painful, but it is also familiar and widely understood. The word captures the kind of sadness that lingers, changes a person for a time, and slowly gives way to healing.
Examples
- 1
Romantic breakup
Their long-distance relationship ended in heartache.
- 2
Family illness
Watching his father get weaker was a real heartache for the whole family.
- 3
Lost friendship
She still feels heartache over the way the friendship ended.
- Patternheartache over + event
emotional pain about it
- 4
Protecting family
He kept the diagnosis from his mother to spare her more heartache.
- Patternspare someone heartache
prevent extra emotional pain
More examplesFewer examples
- 5
Painful relationship
That relationship brought her nothing but heartache.
See also
Similar
Shades of meaning
- anguish
- lovesickness
- wistfulness
Contrast
Used with (collocations)
- cause heartache
- years of heartache
- heartache and loss
Explore
- mourning
- emotional pain
Forms and spellings
2 forms open this card.
Main spelling
- heartachenoun
Forms
- heartachespluralnoun