Meaning & use

desiderium

noun·Advanced

An ardent, wistful longing for something lost or unattainable, especially a person or a past experience.

See it in a sentence

She felt a quiet desiderium for the small town she had left behind years ago.

His letters were filled with a desiderium for a friendship that could never be restored.

A note on using this word

Desiderium is a rare, literary Latin loanword; 'longing' or 'yearning' will read more naturally in everyday writing.

Words with a similar meaning

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