Yearn — meaning, pronunciation & more

Definition

desire strongly or persistently

have a desire for something or someone who is not present

Pronunciation

🇺🇸American English

/jˈɜːn/

🇬🇧British English

/jˈɜːn/

🇮🇳Indian English

/jˈɜːn/

1 syllable Say it as /jˈɜːn/.

Examples

She ached for a cigarette
I am pining for my lover

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

yen hanker long ache languish pine

Parts of Speech

verb	desire strongly or persistently
verb	have a desire for something or someone who is not present “She ached for a cigarette”
verb	have affection for; feel tenderness for

Word Forms

hankering	noun	a yearning for something or to do something
longer	noun	a person with a strong desire for something
longing	noun	prolonged unfulfilled desire or need
yearner	noun	a person with a strong desire for something
yearning	noun	prolonged unfulfilled desire or need
yen	noun	a yearning for something or to do something
pining	noun	a feeling of deep longing

Around the World

Europe

🇩🇪German

sehnen

starkes oder anhaltendes Verlangen

🇫🇷French

aspirer

désirer fortement ou de manière persistante

🇪🇸Spanish

añorar

deseo fuerte o persistentemente

🇮🇹Italian

desiderare

desiderare fortemente o persistentemente

🇳🇱Dutch

verlangen

sterk of aanhoudend verlangen

🇵🇹Portuguese

ansiar

desejo forte ou persistentemente

🇷🇺Russian

тосковать

сильно или настойчиво желать

India

🇮🇳Hindi

उदास होना

दृढ़तापूर्वक या लगातार इच्छा करना

🇧🇩Bengali

আকুল

দৃঢ়ভাবে বা অবিরাম ইচ্ছা

🇮🇳Tamil

ஏங்குகிறது

வலுவாக அல்லது விடாப்பிடியாக ஆசை

🇮🇳Telugu

ఆత్రుత

గట్టిగా లేదా పట్టుదలతో కోరిక

🇮🇳Marathi

तळमळ

तीव्र किंवा चिकाटीने इच्छा

🇮🇳Gujarati

ઝંખના

તીવ્ર અથવા સતત ઇચ્છા

🇮🇳Kannada

ಹಾತೊರೆಯುತ್ತಾರೆ

ಬಲವಾಗಿ ಅಥವಾ ನಿರಂತರವಾಗಿ ಬಯಕೆ

🇮🇳Malayalam

കൊതിക്കുന്നു

ശക്തമായി അല്ലെങ്കിൽ സ്ഥിരമായി ആഗ്രഹിക്കുക

🇮🇳Punjabi

ਤਰਸ

ਜ਼ੋਰਦਾਰ ਜਾਂ ਨਿਰੰਤਰ ਇੱਛਾ

🇵🇰Urdu

تڑپ

سختی سے یا مستقل خواہش

East & Southeast Asia

🇨🇳Chinese

向往

强烈或持续地渴望

🇯🇵Japanese

切望する

強くまたは持続的に欲求する

🇰🇷Korean

불쌍히 여기다

강하게 또는 지속적으로 욕망

🇻🇳Vietnamese

khao khát

mong muốn mạnh mẽ hoặc dai dẳng

🇹🇭Thai

หื่น

ความปรารถนาอย่างแรงกล้าหรือต่อเนื่อง

🇮🇩Indonesian

merindukan

keinginan yang kuat atau terus-menerus

🇵🇭Filipino

manabik

pagnanais nang malakas o patuloy

🇲🇾Malay

rindu

keinginan kuat atau berterusan

Middle East

🇸🇦Arabic

يتوق

الرغبة بقوة أو بإصرار

🇮🇷Persian

مشتاق

میل شدید یا مداوم

🇹🇷Turkish

özlemek

güçlü veya ısrarla arzulamak

🇮🇱Hebrew

לְהִתגַעגֵעַ

תשוקה חזקה או מתמשכת

Test Yourself1 / 3

What is the primary definition of the word 'yearn'?

The primary meaning of 'yearn' is 'desire strongly or persistently'.

Which of the following sentences uses the word 'yearn' in a grammatically correct way?

Using 'yearn' in a noun/adjective form makes the first sentence correct.

In which domain is the word 'yearn' most likely to appear as standard vocabulary?

'yearn' is a standard word used primarily in general literature and formal communications.

Community Poll1 / 6

How often do you encounter the word 'yearn' in your daily reading?

Very Often

Occasionally

Rarely

Never

Do you find 'yearn' easy to spell?

Yes, very easy

Somewhat easy

A bit confusing

Extremely hard

In your opinion, does the word 'yearn' have a positive, neutral, or gloomy tone?

Positive

Neutral

Gloomy

Vibrant

Which age group is most likely to use 'yearn' in regular conversations?

Kids (3-12)

Teens (13-19)

Adults (20-60)

Seniors (60+)

How likely are you to use 'yearn' in a professional email?

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Never

Would you classify 'yearn' as formal, casual, or slang?

Formal

Casual

Slang

Archaic

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