DictionaryAI

nostalgia

noun
Sayno-STAL-juhUS/nɑˈstæld͡ʒə/UK/nɒˈstæld͡ʒə/AUSnuh-STAL-juh/nəˈstæɫd͡ʒə/

2 meanings of nostalgia

Practice

  1. 1
    missing the pastnoununcountable
    A happy but sad feeling when you think about good times in the past.

    Looking at old photos filled her with nostalgia.

    The song brought back a wave of nostalgia for my school days.

    UsageSay nostalgia for the old days.

    Similarlonging, yearning, wistfulness

    Note
  2. 2
    nounrareuncountable
    Missing your home or the places you know well when you are away.
    I have an idea that some men are born out of their due place. Accident has cast them amid certain surroundings, but they have always a nostalgia for a home they know not.
    1919, W[illiam] Somerset Maugham, The Moon and SixpenceHere, nostalgia means a longing for home or a familiar place.
    Seeing food at camp similar to his mother's cooking sent a wave of nostalgia through him.

    Similarhomesickness, longing, yearning

    Note

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Origin

Made up in 1688 by Johannes Hofer from two Greek words meaning "returning home" and "pain". It was a copy of the German word Heimweh (homesickness).

Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 5 facts