Longing

Longing is a profound and often bittersweet emotion, characterized by a deep and persistent yearning or desire for something unattainable, lost, or distant. It signifies a potent emotional pull towards a person, place, experience, or state of being perceived as inherently valuable or missing from one's present life. It frequently involves a sense of incompleteness, dissatisfaction with the current circumstances, and an imaginative projection of a more desirable future or past. The intensity of longing can range from a gentle nostalgia to a consuming passion, shaping thoughts, behaviors, and perceptions. It differs from simple desire, as it possesses a certain depth of feeling, a sustained intensity and a profound sense of emotional connection to its object. It often leads to feelings of sadness or melancholy in its wake, stemming from the gap between the present and the longed-for.

Longing meaning with examples

• He gazed out at the starlit sky, a deep longing welling up within him for the freedom of his youth, when adventures lay around every corner. The familiar ache of distant memories washed over him as he considered all that time had taken. The nostalgia for carefree days intensified as he considered the possibility of returning to it and seeing the familiar faces.
• Her longing for a child, a family to call her own, intensified with each passing year. The quiet evenings within her empty home provided a stark contrast to the dreams she held so dear, dreams filled with laughter, little hands, and the warmth of a full house. She sought solace in imagining the future she desired.
• The expatriate felt a pervasive longing for the familiarity of his homeland, the scent of its unique vegetation, and the comforting rhythms of everyday life. The exotic surroundings served to sharpen the contrast between his current circumstances and his former home, increasing his melancholy. He sought contact with anyone, or anything, from his past.
• The artist's longing to be understood was a palpable force that fueled his creative drive, pushing him to express his inner world through vivid colours and bold strokes. The rejection of critics stung. He worked with an unyielding conviction that his work would finally be understood one day. The work itself was the answer.
• Her persistent longing for connection, coupled with an absence of social interaction, led her to obsessively refresh her social media feeds and actively curate her online identity. The digital world only amplified her feelings of disconnect. She felt a strong sense of isolation despite her efforts to connect.