breaking someone's heart
Causing romantic anguish
Breaking someone's heart is causing them deep emotional pain, especially through rejection, betrayal, or the end of a romantic relationship.
The metaphor treats the heart as the seat of love and emotion—when love is withdrawn or destroyed, the heart "breaks." She broke his heart when she left.
It broke my heart to see him so defeated.
- loveIntense fond attachment
- rejectionDenial of acceptance
- sorrowDeep emotional distress
- emotional painPsychological suffering or distress
- anguishIntense mental suffering
depression · letting go · grief · intimacy · deceit · torn apart · separation · estrangement · infidelity · heartbreak · broken promises · abandonment · despair · disappointment · loneliness · cruelty · affection · divorce