Longing: When Waiting Feels Long
Longing is a strong persistent wish for something. The verb comes from the idea that time seems long when you want something badly.
Longing is a deep wish for something out of reach, usually with a tinge of sadness. The verb grew from the adjective: in Old English a construction meaning *it seems long to me* described impatience, and the feeling took the name of the time. That is why longing implies waiting as well as wanting.
- A strong persistent desire. *A longing for home.*
- Full of longing. *A longing look.*
- To long for — to want deeply. *She longed for quiet.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | longing | A quiet longing. |
| Plural | longings | Old longings. |
| Verb | long | I long to see it. |
| Adjective | longing | A longing glance. |
| Adverb | longingly | She looked longingly. |
How it is used in a sentence
- He felt a longing for the coast.Longing for is the usual construction.
- They longed to go home.Long to plus a verb.
- She looked at the piano longingly.The adverb.
Words for wanting
- Longing — persistent, wistful desire
- Yearning — the same, with more ache
- Craving — urgent and physical
- Nostalgia — longing for a past time
- Saudade — the Portuguese word for longing for something absent, often quoted as untranslatable
From Old English *langian*, to seem long, from *lang*, long. German *verlangen* is built on the same idea, and so is the notion of a day dragging.
Longing or yearning?
They are close synonyms. Yearning is a shade stronger and more emotional; longing can be quiet and sustained.
Long for or long to?
Long for takes a noun: long for peace. Long to takes a verb: long to leave.