yearning
/ˈjɜːrnɪŋ/
VERB
1. To have a strong desire
To feel a powerful longing or desire for something.
1.1. Intense desire for something
Expresses a strong emotional or mental desire to obtain, experience, or achieve something.
Synonyms
- craving
- desiring
- longing for
- hankering for
- pining for
- wanting
- wishing for
Antonyms
- disliking
- rejecting
- renouncing
Examples
- The author's prose captured the protagonist's intense yearning for a life beyond the ordinary.
- As the sun set over the ocean, a feeling of yearning for distant shores filled his heart.
Related Words
VERB
2. To long nostalgically for the past
To feel a deep, wistful or melancholy desire for something from the past.
2.1. Nostalgic longing for earlier times
Describes a melancholy desire to return to or experience again earlier times, memories, or circumstances.
Synonyms
- pining for
- longing for
- aching for
- missing
Antonyms
- forgetting
- disregarding
Examples
- The poignant melody evoked a deep yearning for the past among the listeners.
Related Words
- nostalgia
- reminiscence
- memory
- sentimentality
VERB
3. To feel strong love or affection
To experience powerful feelings of love, sympathy, or affection toward someone.
3.1. Longing for a loved one
Expresses a deep emotional desire for someone's presence, companionship, love, or affection.
Synonyms
- longing for
- pining for
- aching for
- loving
Antonyms
- abhorring
- detesting
- loathing
Examples
- In her eyes, there was a hint of yearning as she watched the train depart with her loved one.
Related Words
- affection
- devotion
- sympathy
- attachment
- tenderness
VERB
4. To feel pain, distress, or grief
To experience emotional pain, sorrow, distress, or grief.
4.1. Experiencing emotional suffering
Describes suffering inwardly from sadness, distress, or grief caused by a painful experience or loss.
Synonyms
- grieving
- mourning
- suffering
- agonizing
- fretting
Related Words
NOUN
5. A wistful or melancholy longing
A deep, often sad or wistful feeling of longing or desire for someone or something.
5.1. Emotional longing or desire
Refers to an intense feeling of wanting something that is absent, distant, or difficult to attain.
Synonyms
Antonyms
- apathy
- indifference
- disinterest
- satisfaction
Examples
- The painting depicted a solitary figure, surrounded by nature, with an expression of quiet yearning on their face.
Related Words
- nostalgia
- desire
- aspiration
- yearner
- wistfulness
- melancholy
NOUN
6. An enzyme used to curdle milk
Rennet, an enzyme used to coagulate milk during the production of cheese.
6.1. Milk-coagulating enzyme
Refers to rennet, a substance containing enzymes that causes milk to separate into curds and whey during cheese-making.
Synonyms
- rennet
Related Words
- enzyme
- coagulation
- curd
- whey
- cheese