Heartbreakers

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Individuals who inflict deep emotional suffering through romantic interactions
2. Those who enchant with charisma but ultimately bring emotional despair to their partners
3. People who cause deep emotional pain through love relationships

Etymology: "Heartbreakers" is the plural of "heartbreaker", a compound built from two plain English words: "heart" and "breaker". The first part is the ordinary organ-and-emotion word, and the second is an agent noun meaning one who breaks something, formed from "break". Put together, the literal sense is a person who breaks hearts, and the figurative sense of causing sorrow or emotional pain grew directly out of that image. The plural simply adds the usual "-s" to the noun, so it refers to more than one such person, as in a band or a group of charming rogues who leave others heartsore. Because both elements are native English, the compound needs no borrowed vocabulary to explain it, and its meaning has stayed close to the picture its parts suggest.

Synonyms: soulmates, lovers, romantic interests