Heartbreak is a universal experience, often leaving us lost for words to describe the pain we feel. But through language, we find solace and connection.
Idioms for heartbreak encapsulate the raw emotions of love lost, offering a glimpse into the depth of human experience.
Experiencing heartbreak is akin to having a weight pressing down on your chest, making it hard to breathe. For additional comparisons, explore metaphors for heartbreak and similes for heartbreak.
What is an idiom for heartbreak?
Idioms are phrases or expressions whose meanings cannot be understood from the literal words used. Instead, they carry a deeper significance, often rooted in cultural or historical contexts.
Idioms for heartbreak capture the intense emotions and struggles associated with romantic loss, offering a nuanced way to express our inner turmoil.
Summary
| Idiom | Meaning | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| Break someone’s heart | To cause someone emotional pain or distress, typically by ending a romantic relationship or betraying their trust. | “Her decision to leave him broke his heart, and he struggled to move on.” |
| Heartache | A deep, emotional pain or sadness, especially caused by the loss of love or a broken relationship. | “After the breakup, he experienced overwhelming heartache, unable to shake off the feeling of loneliness.” |
| Wounded heart | A heart that has been injured or damaged emotionally, often as a result of betrayal or rejection. | “Despite his efforts to appear strong, she could see the pain in his wounded heart.” |
| Love hurts | The notion that love can bring emotional pain or suffering, challenging the romanticized idea of love as always joyful. | “She realized that love hurts as much as it heals, confronting the complexities of relationships.” |
| Bleeding heart | Someone who feels intense sympathy or compassion, especially for those experiencing hardship or heartbreak. | “As a bleeding heart, she couldn’t help but empathize with others’ struggles, even as she dealt with her own pain.” |
| Crushed spirit | A spirit or morale that has been completely broken or demoralized, often due to repeated setbacks or emotional trauma. | “His failed relationships left him with a crushed spirit, doubting his worthiness of love.” |
| Broken-hearted | Overwhelmed with grief or sadness due to a romantic disappointment or loss. | “She spent months feeling broken-hearted after the breakup, struggling to mend her shattered emotions.” |
| Shattered dreams | Hopes or aspirations that have been destroyed or dashed, typically in the context of failed romantic relationships. | “The end of their relationship brought with it shattered dreams of a future together.” |
| Heart in pieces | A heart that feels fragmented or torn apart, unable to find wholeness after experiencing profound loss. | “With each breakup, he felt his heart shatter into even smaller pieces, making it harder to trust again.” |
| Tear apart | To cause emotional pain or distress by separating or ending a relationship, often abruptly or forcefully. | “The decision to tear apart their relationship left both parties devastated and longing for what once was.” |
| Love lost | The absence or end of love, typically due to the breakdown of a romantic relationship. | “He struggled to come to terms with the reality of love lost, grappling with feelings of regret and longing.” |
| Gut-wrenching pain | A profound and visceral pain that feels as though it originates from the depths of one’s being, often associated with intense emotional distress. | “The news of her betrayal brought with it a gut-wrenching pain that he couldn’t shake off.” |
| Heavy-hearted | Feeling burdened or weighed down by sadness or sorrow, often due to a recent loss or disappointment. | “She trudged through her days with a heavy-hearted demeanor, unable to shake off the sadness.” |
| Emotional pain | The psychological distress or suffering experienced as a result of emotional trauma or loss. | “He struggled to cope with the overwhelming emotional pain of their breakup, seeking solace in solitude.” |
| Suffering heart | A heart that is enduring or experiencing prolonged pain or distress, often related to romantic loss or betrayal. | “Despite his outward composure, she could sense the suffering heart hidden beneath his stoic facade.” |
| Heartache and pain | The combined feelings of emotional distress and sorrow experienced in the aftermath of a breakup or romantic disappointment. | “She found herself consumed by heartache and pain, struggling to navigate life without her former partner.” |
| Love’s lament | A mournful expression of grief or sorrow caused by the loss or absence of love. | “His poetry became a love’s lament, a poignant reflection of his heartbreak and longing.” |
| Tormented soul | A soul or inner self that is plagued by emotional anguish or torment, often as a result of unrequited love or betrayal. | “He felt like a tormented soul, haunted by memories of their failed relationship.” |
| Heartstring pulled | To evoke strong emotions, especially sadness or longing, often associated with memories or reminders of past love. | “Seeing their favorite song on the radio pulled at her heartstrings, reminding her of happier times.” |
| Crushing blow | A devastating or overwhelming setback or disappointment, often related to love or relationships. | “The news of his infidelity was a crushing blow, shattering her trust in him.” |
| Love’s agony | The intense emotional pain or suffering experienced as a result of romantic love, especially when it ends or is unrequited. | “She couldn’t bear the thought of enduring love’s agony for another day, longing for relief from the pain.” |
| Aching heart | A heart that feels persistent or prolonged pain or longing, often associated with unfulfilled romantic desires. | “He woke up each morning with an aching heart, haunted by memories of their lost love.” |
| Painful separation | The emotional distress or suffering caused by the ending or separation of a romantic relationship. | “Their painful separation left both parties reeling, unsure of how to move forward.” |
| Love’s sorrow | The profound sadness or grief experienced as a result of love lost or unrequited affection. | “She wrote poetry as a way to express her love’s sorrow, finding solace in the rhythm of her words.” |
| Heartsick | Overwhelmed with sorrow or sadness, especially due to romantic disappointment or longing. | “He couldn’t shake off the feeling of being heartsick, longing for the warmth of her embrace.” |
| Shattered romance | A romantic relationship that has been irreparably damaged or destroyed, often due to betrayal or infidelity. | “Their shattered romance left behind a trail of broken promises and shattered dreams.” |
| Lonely heart | A heart that feels isolated or alone, often due to the absence or loss of love. | “She struggled to fill the void of her lonely heart, longing for companionship and connection.” |
Idioms for Heartbreak
1. Break someone’s heart
Meaning: To cause someone emotional pain or distress, typically by ending a romantic relationship or betraying their trust.
In a Sentence: “Her decision to leave him broke his heart, and he struggled to move on.”
2. Heartache
Meaning: A deep, emotional pain or sadness, especially caused by the loss of love or a broken relationship.
In a Sentence: “After the breakup, he experienced overwhelming heartache, unable to shake off the feeling of loneliness.”
3. Wounded heart
Meaning: A heart that has been injured or damaged emotionally, often as a result of betrayal or rejection.
In a Sentence: “Despite his efforts to appear strong, she could see the pain in his wounded heart.”
4. Love hurts
Meaning: The notion that love can bring emotional pain or suffering, challenging the romanticized idea of love as always joyful.
In a Sentence: “She realized that love hurts as much as it heals, confronting the complexities of relationships.”
5. Bleeding heart
Meaning: Someone who feels intense sympathy or compassion, especially for those experiencing hardship or heartbreak.
In a Sentence: “As a bleeding heart, she couldn’t help but empathize with others’ struggles, even as she dealt with her pain.”
6. Crushed spirit
Meaning: A spirit or morale that has been completely broken or demoralized, often due to repeated setbacks or emotional trauma.
In a Sentence: “His failed relationships left him with a crushed spirit, doubting his worthiness of love.”
7. Broken-hearted
Meaning: Overwhelmed with grief or sadness due to a romantic disappointment or loss.
In a Sentence: “She spent months feeling broken-hearted after the breakup, struggling to mend her shattered emotions.”
8. Shattered dreams
Meaning: Hopes or aspirations that have been destroyed or dashed, typically in the context of failed romantic relationships.
In a Sentence: “The end of their relationship brought with it shattered dreams of a future together.”
9. Heart in pieces
Meaning: A heart that feels fragmented or torn apart, unable to find wholeness after experiencing profound loss.
In a Sentence: “With each breakup, he felt his heart shatter into even smaller pieces, making it harder to trust again.”
10. Tear apart
Meaning: To cause emotional pain or distress by separating or ending a relationship, often abruptly or forcefully.
In a Sentence: “The decision to tear apart their relationship left both parties devastated and longing for what once was.”
11. Love lost
Meaning: The absence or end of love, typically due to the breakdown of a romantic relationship.
In a Sentence: “He struggled to come to terms with the reality of love lost, grappling with feelings of regret and longing.”
12. Gut-wrenching pain
Meaning: A profound and visceral pain that feels as though it originates from the depths of one’s being, often associated with intense emotional distress.
In a Sentence: “The news of her betrayal brought with it a gut-wrenching pain that he couldn’t shake off.”
13. Heavy-hearted
Meaning: Feeling burdened or weighed down by sadness or sorrow, often due to a recent loss or disappointment.
In a Sentence: “She trudged through her days with a heavy-hearted demeanor, unable to shake off the sadness.”
14. Emotional pain
Meaning: The psychological distress or suffering experienced as a result of emotional trauma or loss.
In a Sentence: “He struggled to cope with the overwhelming emotional pain of their breakup, seeking solace in solitude.”
15. Suffering heart
Meaning: A heart that is enduring or experiencing prolonged pain or distress, often related to romantic loss or betrayal.
In a Sentence: “Despite his outward composure, she could sense the suffering heart hidden beneath his stoic facade.”
16. Heartache and pain
Meaning: The combined feelings of emotional distress and sorrow experienced in the aftermath of a breakup or romantic disappointment.
In a Sentence: “She found herself consumed by heartache and pain, struggling to navigate life without her former partner.”
17. Love’s lament
Meaning: A mournful expression of grief or sorrow caused by the loss or absence of love.
In a Sentence: “His poetry became a love’s lament, a poignant reflection of his heartbreak and longing.”
18. Tormented soul
Meaning: A soul or inner self that is plagued by emotional anguish or torment, often as a result of unrequited love or betrayal.
In a Sentence: “He felt like a tormented soul, haunted by memories of their failed relationship.”
19. Heartstring pulled
Meaning: To evoke strong emotions, especially sadness or longing, often associated with memories or reminders of past love.
In a Sentence: “Seeing their favorite song on the radio pulled at her heartstrings, reminding her of happier times.”
20. Crushing blow
Meaning: A devastating or overwhelming setback or disappointment, often related to love or relationships.
In a Sentence: “The news of his infidelity was a crushing blow, shattering her trust in him.”
21. Love’s agony
Meaning: The intense emotional pain or suffering experienced as a result of romantic love, especially when it ends or is unrequited.
In a Sentence: “She couldn’t bear the thought of enduring love’s agony for another day, longing for relief from the pain.”
22. Aching heart
Meaning: A heart that feels persistent or prolonged pain or longing, often associated with unfulfilled romantic desires.
In a Sentence: “He woke up each morning with an aching heart, haunted by memories of their lost love.”
23. Painful separation
Meaning: The emotional distress or suffering caused by the ending or separation of a romantic relationship.
In a Sentence: “Their painful separation left both parties reeling, unsure of how to move forward.”
24. Love’s sorrow
Meaning: The profound sadness or grief experienced as a result of love lost or unrequited affection.
In a Sentence: “She wrote poetry as a way to express her love’s sorrow, finding solace in the rhythm of her words.”
25. Heartsick
Meaning: Overwhelmed with sorrow or sadness, especially due to romantic disappointment or longing.
In a Sentence: “He couldn’t shake off the feeling of being heartsick, longing for the warmth of her embrace.”
26. Shattered romance
Meaning: A romantic relationship that has been irreparably damaged or destroyed, often due to betrayal or infidelity.
In a Sentence: “Their shattered romance left behind a trail of broken promises and shattered dreams.”
27. Lonely heart
Meaning: A heart that feels isolated or alone, often due to the absence or loss of love.
In a Sentence: “She struggled to fill the void of her lonely heart, longing for companionship and connection.”
Here are 10 quiz questions based on the idioms mentioned in the article:
- What does the idiom “Love hurts” mean?
- A) Love is always joyful
- B) Love brings emotional pain or suffering
- C) Love heals all wounds
- D) Love is eternal bliss
- Which idiom describes someone who feels intense sympathy or compassion?
- A) Heart in pieces
- B) Bleeding heart
- C) Crushed spirit
- D) Love’s lament
- What does the idiom “Tear apart” mean?
- A) To mend a broken heart
- B) To cause emotional pain by ending a relationship
- C) To express grief over lost love
- D) To celebrate a new romance
- Which idiom refers to a heart that feels persistent or prolonged pain or longing?
- A) Love’s sorrow
- B) Heartache and pain
- C) Aching heart
- D) Painful separation
- What is the meaning of the idiom “Heavy-hearted”?
- A) Feeling burdened by sadness or sorrow
- B) Feeling light and joyful
- C) Feeling indifferent
- D) Feeling carefree
- Which idiom describes a soul plagued by emotional anguish or torment?
- A) Emotional pain
- B) Tormented soul
- C) Suffering heart
- D) Heartstring pulled
- What does the idiom “Crushing blow” signify?
- A) A gentle reminder
- B) An overwhelming setback or disappointment
- C) A romantic gesture
- D) A joyful surprise
- Which idiom refers to the absence or end of love?
- A) Love’s lament
- B) Love lost
- C) Shattered dreams
- D) Lonely heart
- What is the meaning of the idiom “Shattered romance”?
- A) A love that lasts forever
- B) A relationship filled with happiness
- C) A romantic relationship irreparably damaged or destroyed
- D) A fleeting romance
- Which idiom describes a heart that feels isolated or alone?
- A) Heartache
- B) Love’s agony
- C) Lonely heart
- D) Wounded heart
Answers:
- B) Love brings emotional pain or suffering
- B) Bleeding heart
- B) To cause emotional pain by ending a relationship
- C) Aching heart
- A) Feeling burdened by sadness or sorrow
- B) Tormented soul
- B) An overwhelming setback or disappointment
- B) Love lost
- C) A romantic relationship irreparably damaged or destroyed
- C) Lonely heart
Conclusion
Idioms for heartbreak offer a window into the complex and often painful world of romantic loss.
From the crushing blow of betrayal to the lingering ache of unfulfilled longing, these expressions capture the depth of human emotion in the face of love’s trials.
