51Թ

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View synonyms for

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.



yearn

/ ɜː /

verb

  1. to have an intense desire or longing (for); pine (for)

  2. to feel tenderness or affection

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Other 51Թ Forms

  • yearner noun
  • unyearned adjective
  • ˈ𲹰Ա noun
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51Թ History and Origins

Origin of yearn1

First recorded before 900; Middle English yernen, Old English giernan derivative of georn “eager”; akin to Old Norse girna “to desire,” Greek í𾱲 “to rejoice,” Sanskrit áⲹپ “(he) desires”
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51Թ History and Origins

Origin of yearn1

Old English giernan; related to Old Saxon girnian, Old Norse girna, Gothic gairnjan, Old High German ō to long for, Sanskrit haryati he likes
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Synonym Study

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.
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

"What we are fighting for and yearning for is justice - prosecutions for those responsible. We deserve that."

From

Lucy finds herself torn between the cynicism and mathematical practicality her job has hardened in her and a yearning romanticism she wishes she could be open to.

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Though the stunt is nominally aimed at exposing and ending degrading matchmaking practices, what Nastia really yearns for is her missing parent’s attention.

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“JanSport Backpack,” is a yearning tune with harmonies and a hazily poignant emotional tone akin to the Beach Boys —another band of Westside brothers and musical observers of youth culture.

From

We have to embrace that which has toughened us and has given us character and has given us something a little extra yearn for and live for.

From

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Yearly Meetingyearning