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hiraeth

ˈhɪraɪθnoun

What does hiraeth mean?

A deep longing for a home you cannot go back to, or that never quite existed.

Hiraeth, six ways

PlainA deep longing for a home you cannot go back to, or that never quite existed.
ADHDHomesick for a home that’s gone. Or never was.
Gen ZMissing a home you can’t go back to, maybe one that only existed in your head.
MetaphorA key you still carry for a door that is no longer there.
FormalA Welsh word for a longing for a home, place or time that is lost or unattainable.
Like I’m 5When you miss a home so much, but you can’t go back to it. That’s hiraeth.

How to pronounce hiraeth

HEER-eyeth/ˈhɪraɪθ/

Hiraeth in a sentence

Every winter brought a wave of hiraeth for the valley.
The smell of coal smoke brought on a hiraeth he couldn’t name.
Welsh poets have written of hiraeth for centuries.

Synonyms for hiraeth

homesicknessMissing home, but home still exists.
nostalgiaFor a time, and warmer.
saudadeLonging for anyone or anything gone.

Hiraeth vs saudade: Both are a longing for what is gone. Hiraeth is for a home; saudade is for anyone or anything you loved. The difference, in plain English.

Where hiraeth comes from

Welsh. There is no single English word for it; it is usually explained as a homesickness for a home you cannot return to, or one that never was.

Good to know

It carries grief for a home that is lost, changed, or perhaps never was. For missing a place you can simply go back to, homesick is enough.

Hiraeth meaning, on a Gloss card: A deep longing for a home you cannot go back to, or that never quite existed.

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Words like hiraeth

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In: Untranslatable words · Words for feelings · Words with a story