homesick
HOHM-sik
/ˈhoʊm.sɪk/
Experiencing a feeling of sadness or distress caused by being away from home and family.
Focuses on the acute distress of physical displacement from home, familiar surroundings, or loved ones.
The story behind the word. A 17th-century Germanic compound created as a direct translation of the German word 'heimweh' (home-ache).
Word relationships
- nostalgic: Nostalgic can be longing for a past time period, whereas homesick is longing specifically for one's home place.
- lonely: Lonely is feeling isolated from human contact generally; homesick is specifically missing home.
- contented: Contented means happy and comfortable wherever one happens to be.
Commonly confused with
- homesick vs nostalgia: Homesick is spatial (missing a place); nostalgia is temporal (missing a time).
Word family
- homesickness (noun): The state of feeling homesick.
Collocations
- feel homesick
- terribly homesick
- homesick traveler
- homesick child
Idioms & expressions
- long for home
Example sentences
- "During her first week at university, she felt painfully homesick for her family." University transition
- "The young camper grew homesick after three nights away from his parents." Travel
Memory hook
HOMESICK = Sick in stomach because you miss your HOME. Home + Sick = Ache for home.
When not to use
Do not use to describe general sadness that has nothing to do with distance from home.
Fun facts
- In modern psychology, homesickness is classified as a mild situational adjustment disorder.
Explore more words
exile, alienation, forlorn, bereavement, withdrawn, estranged
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