Also spelled heart-broken
adj
Freq #12957
Meanings
-
1
adj
overwhelmed by grief, disappointment, or emotional loss
She was heartbroken when her closest friend moved away.
Thesaurus
Synonyms
More
inconsolable
Word family
Derived forms
heartbrokenly
Etymology
Formed from heart + broken, using the heart as the traditional seat of emotion. The image of grief breaking the heart is ancient; heartbroken became established as a compound adjective for profound sorrow or disappointment.