heartbreaking
adjective
heart·break·ing
ˈhärt-ˌbrā-kiŋ 
1
: causing intense sorrow or distress
heartbreaking news
a heartbreaking defeat
2
: producing an intense emotional reaction or response
heartbreaking beauty
Examples of heartbreaking in a Sentence
She wrote a heartbreaking story about the death of her grandfather.
It was heartbreaking to know that there was nothing I could do.
The team suffered another heartbreaking defeat.
Recent Examples on the Web
After leading the Masters at the conclusion of both the first and second rounds, then taking the lead again after draining a clutch birdie putt on his 72nd hole, Rose found yet another heartbreaking way to lose a major at Augusta.
—
Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Apr. 2025
Knowing this is who your mother is would be a heartbreaking realization for a teenage girl.
—Dana Feldman, Forbes.com, 13 Apr. 2025
This is deeply unfair and heartbreaking to victims, including victims of domestic violence, who have courageously engaged with the system to seek justice.
—Mimi Rocah, New York Daily News, 13 Apr. 2025
There don’t have to be more heartbreaking deaths.
—Lisa Jarvis, Mercury News, 12 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for heartbreaking
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Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Apr. 2025
Knowing this is who your mother is would be a heartbreaking realization for a teenage girl.
—Dana Feldman, Forbes.com, 13 Apr. 2025
This is deeply unfair and heartbreaking to victims, including victims of domestic violence, who have courageously engaged with the system to seek justice.
—Mimi Rocah, New York Daily News, 13 Apr. 2025
There don’t have to be more heartbreaking deaths.
—Lisa Jarvis, Mercury News, 12 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for heartbreaking
Cite this Entry
“Heartbreaking.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/heartbreaking. Accessed 19 Apr. 2025.
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