Related Searches
on Ask.com
Synonyms
Nearby Entries
yearning - 4 dictionary results
yearn⋅ing
[yur-ning] 
–noun
| 1. | deep longing, esp. when accompanied by tenderness or sadness: a widower's yearning for his wife. |
| 2. | an instance of such longing. |
yearn
[yurn] –verb (used without object)
| 1. | to have an earnest or strong desire; long: to yearn for a quiet vacation. |
| 2. | to feel tenderness; be moved or attracted: They yearned over their delicate child. |
Origin:
bef. 900; ME yernen, OE giernan deriv. of georn eager; akin to ON girna to desire, Gk chaírein to rejoice, Skt háryati (he) desires
bef. 900; ME yernen, OE giernan deriv. of georn eager; akin to ON girna to desire, Gk chaírein to rejoice, Skt háryati (he) desires
Related forms:
yearner, noun
Synonyms:
1. Yearn, long, hanker, pine all mean to feel a powerful desire for something. Yearn stresses the depth and passionateness of a desire: to yearn to get away and begin a new life; to yearn desperately for recognition. Long implies a wholehearted desire for something that is or seems unattainable: to long to relive one's childhood; to long for the warmth of summer. Hanker suggests a restless or incessant craving to fulfill some urge or desire: to hanker for a promotion; to hanker after fame and fortune. Pine adds the notion of physical or emotional suffering as a result of the real or apparent hopelessness of one's desire: to pine for one's native land; to pine for a lost love.
1. Yearn, long, hanker, pine all mean to feel a powerful desire for something. Yearn stresses the depth and passionateness of a desire: to yearn to get away and begin a new life; to yearn desperately for recognition. Long implies a wholehearted desire for something that is or seems unattainable: to long to relive one's childhood; to long for the warmth of summer. Hanker suggests a restless or incessant craving to fulfill some urge or desire: to hanker for a promotion; to hanker after fame and fortune. Pine adds the notion of physical or emotional suffering as a result of the real or apparent hopelessness of one's desire: to pine for one's native land; to pine for a lost love.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source
|
Link To yearning
| yearn (yûrn) intr.v. yearned, yearn·ing, yearns
[Middle English yernen, from Old English geornan, giernan; see gher-2 in Indo-European roots.] yearn'er n. |
| yearn·ing (yûr'nĭng) n. A persistent, often wistful or melancholy desire; a longing: a yearning for romance and adventure. |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Copyright © 2009, Dictionary.com, LLC. All rights reserved.
