Whiteisms
The Archive

Etymology Journal ยท A

Absence makes the heart grow fonder

Meaning

Being away from someone you love makes you miss them and love them even more. Distance can strengthen emotional bonds.

Sentimental, romantic

Used in a sentence

  • My husband is away for work, but I suppose absence makes the heart grow fonder.
  • They spent the summer apart and realized absence makes the heart grow fonder.
  • Do not worry about the distance, remember that absence makes the heart grow fonder.

The backstory

This is a line from the 1844 poem Is It True? by Thomas Haynes Bayly. It captured a sentiment that resonated so well it became a permanent fixture in the English language.

Heard in

Nationwide

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