heartbreaking
heartbreaking — adjective
1. so sad that it makes you feel deep emotional pain — like when you lose something
so sad that it makes you feel deep emotional pain — like when you lose something precious or watch someone you care about suffer
The documentary showed the heartbreaking reality of families living in poverty.
attributive before noun: heartbreaking + reality
Aiko found it heartbreaking to watch her childhood home being torn down.
find it + heartbreaking + to-infinitive
The news of the orphanage closing was heartbreaking for the whole community.
The refugee crisis remains one of the most heartbreaking stories of our time.
For Leila, saying goodbye to her childhood friend was the most heartbreaking moment of her life.
- heart-wrenching
more visceral and immediate; often used for a single gut-wrenching moment rather than an ongoing situation
- devastating
stronger, implying that the sadness is so deep it feels destructive to one's emotional state
- sad
much milder in intensity; a general word for unhappiness, not specific to deep emotional pain
- heartwarming
causes a feeling of warmth and happiness, the emotional opposite of heartbreaking
- uplifting
raises one's spirits and creates hope, whereas heartbreaking creates sorrow
文法句型
heartbreaking + noun
be + heartbreaking
find it + heartbreaking + to-infinitive
用法筆記
Commonly used both before a noun (a heartbreaking story) and after linking verbs (the decision was heartbreaking). The pattern with find it + adjective + to-infinitive is especially frequent in spoken English.