Heartbreaking
Heartbreaking adjective - Of a kind to cause great distress.
Usage example: the heartbreaking state of Main Street now that most of the businesses have closed
Shocking and heartbreaking are semantically related. In some cases you can use "Shocking" instead an adjective "Heartbreaking".
Shocking
Shocking adjective - Causing a strong emotional reaction because of unexpectedness.
Heartbreaking and shocking are semantically related. Sometimes you can use "Heartbreaking" instead an adjective "Shocking".
Mutual synonyms
Related pairs
- disturbing and heartbreaking
- disturbing and shocking
- unpleasant and heartbreaking
- unpleasant and shocking
- grievous and heartbreaking
- grievous and shocking
- bad and heartbreaking
- bad and shocking
- wretched and heartbreaking
- wretched and shocking
- deplorable and heartbreaking
- deplorable and shocking
- terrible and heartbreaking
- terrible and shocking
Both words in one sentence
- This scene was particularly shocking and heartbreaking because not only was Dom a very likable character, but he was also the one character that nobody expected to die.
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Of course, in episode 20 it then applies the other half of this trope with the absolutely shocking and heartbreaking death of Micheal Blanc.
Source: Anime / Macross Frontier -
Although the very end of the episode throws in some humour to lighten the mood a little, it is still an unexpectedly shocking and heartbreaking moment.
Cite this Source
Shocking and Heartbreaking. (2016). Retrieved 2026, August 01, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/heartbreaking/shocking
Heartbreaking & Shocking. N.p., 2016. Web. 01 Aug. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/heartbreaking/shocking>.
Shocking or Heartbreaking. 2016. Accessed August 01, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/heartbreaking/shocking.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "heartbreaking" and "shocking" have occurred on timeline