Revised as of
25 Nov 2022
It was the sentence “have you ever had your heartbroken?” that set me off.
Heart Broken / Broken Heart versus Heartbroken actually mean the same, however, how they’re joined makes a huge difference.
For one, heart broken (or broken heart) is a noun phrase. It’s used as a noun.
Heartbroken is an adjective describing that broken heart.
Ya just gotta pay attention.
Word Confusions . . .
. . . started as my way of dealing with a professional frustration with properly spelled words that were out of context in manuscripts I was editing as well as books I was reviewing. It evolved into a sharing of information with y’all. I’m hoping you’ll share with us words that have been a bête noire for you from either end.
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| Heart Broken / Broken Heart | Heartbroken |
|---|---|
Broken Heart is pd4u‘s work and is under the is under the CC0 1.0 license, via license, via Wikimedia Commons. |
Heartbroken is in the public domain, via MaxPixel. |
| Part of Grammar: | |
| Noun phrase
Plural: broken hearts, heart broken |
Adjective |
[Of a person] Being very sad
|
[Of a person] Suffering from overwhelming distress
Crushed with sorrow or grief |
| Examples: | |
| She never recovered from her broken heart.
You can die of a broken heart. “The idea is to have a good support structure so others don’t die from a broken heart” (Shuttleworth). Time really does heal a broken heart. I always thought exams were difficult until I got my heart broken. “I would rather die than have my heart broken and still live in a lifeless shell” (Macron). |
He was heartbroken at the thought of leaving the house.
They were heartbroken when their bid to buy the house was one-upped. A devastated mum is heartbroken after thieves stole a tender tribute from her daughter’s grave. We accept that Thomas died, but we can’t accept his suffering, and we are all heartbroken. Don’t even think about it if you don’t want to be disappointed and heartbroken. |
| Derivatives: | |
| Adverb: heartbrokenly Noun: heartbrokenness |
|
| History of the Word: | |
| It was first recorded in 1825–35. | It was first recorded in 1580–90; heart + broken |
C’mon, get it out of your system, bitch, whine, moan . . . which words are your pet peeves? Also, please note that I try to be as accurate as I can, but mistakes happen or I miss something. Email me if you find errors, so I can fix them . . . and we’ll all benefit!
Satisfy your curiosity about other Word Confusions on its homepage or more generally explore the index of self-editing posts. You may also want to explore Book Layout & Formatting Ideas, Formatting Tips, Grammar Explanations, Linguistics, Publishing Tips, the Properly Punctuated, Writing Ideas and Resources, and Working Your Website.
Resources for Heart Broken / Broken Heart versus Heartbroken
Apple Dictionary.com
Collins Dictionary: broken heart
Dictionary.com: heartbroken
Lexico.com: heartbroken
Macron, Davis. “72 Powerful Broken Heart Quotes & Messages.” The Right Messages.com. 12 Apr 2020. Web. 28 Jan 2022. <https://therightmessages.com/broken-heart-quotes/>.
Shuttleworth, Bobby. “Dying of a Broken Heart.” Waff.com. 26 Sept 2016. Web. 28 Jan 2022. <https://www.waff.com/story/18848540/death-can-kill-you/>.
Pinterest Photo Credits:
Heart Broken — Tears are the Baptism of a Heartbroken Soul by Anil Kumar is under the CC BY-ND 2.0 license, Flickr.
