Longing
noun /ˈlɒŋ.ɪŋ/ — A persistent, wistful desire for something
Definition
A persistent feeling of wanting something or someone — especially something not easily obtained or something absent. Longing is desire that has accepted it may not be fulfilled.
Beyond the definition
Desire that has made peace with distance. Longing is not urgent like craving — it is patient, sustaining, sometimes beautiful. The feeling that knows it may never arrive at what it wants and continues anyway.
Origin & history
From Old English 'langung' (longing, grief) — from 'lang' (long) + '-ung' (state of). The state of the long — the feeling that belongs to duration and distance.
Example sentences
Illustrative sentences for learning, not verified community posts or sourced quotations.
The photographs produced a longing for a time she hadn't lived through — a nostalgia for someone else's past.
Longing is different from desire in that it knows the distance. Desire might be satisfied; longing has already accepted that the thing is far away.
There is something tender about longing — it keeps what it loves at a distance that preserves it.
How to use it
This entry uses a noun. Follow the examples for articles and singular or plural forms; not every noun takes “a” or “an.”
Choose “Longing” when the meaning fits your context: A persistent feeling of wanting something or someone — especially something not easily obtained or something absent. Longing is desire that has accepted it may not be fulfilled.
Synonyms
Antonyms
contentment, satisfaction, fulfillment
Related words
Compare this word
Word in the Wild
See how this word appears in life, language and stories.
Illustrative sentences and imagined stories for learning — not verified sightings, interviews, or sourced quotations.
Fictional scene
Waiting in Garden Corner
An adult waits in a dark, moonlit garden corner, standing in an expectant, tense posture for someone to arrive.
The anticipation and the patient, watchful wait in the shadows reflect the nature of longing—a persistent, deep feeling for something that is currently absent.
Image credit: Wordspun · AI-generated conceptual illustration
Questions about this word
What does "Longing" mean?
Longing is noun meaning: A persistent, wistful desire for something. A persistent feeling of wanting something or someone — especially something not easily obtained or something absent. Longing is desire that has accepted it may not be fulfilled.
Where does the word "Longing" come from?
From Old English 'langung' (longing, grief) — from 'lang' (long) + '-ung' (state of). The state of the long — the feeling that belongs to duration and distance.