nostalgia
noun
nos·tal·gia
| \ nä-ˈstal-jə
, nə- also nȯ-, nō-; nə-ˈstäl-\
, nə- also nȯ-, nō-; nə-ˈstäl-\
Definition of nostalgia
1
: the state of being homesick : homesickness
2
: a wistful or excessively sentimental yearning for return to or of some past period or irrecoverable condition
also
: something that evokes nostalgia
Keep scrolling for more
Other Words from nostalgia
nostalgist
\ nä-ˈstal-jist
, nə- also nȯ- , nō- ; nə-ˈstäl- \
noun
, nə- also nȯ- , nō- ; nə-ˈstäl- \
noun
Examples of nostalgia in a Sentence
To dwell even fitfully on the past, for James, was to risk crippling nostalgia; the past was the shadow side of will and therefore must be rejected.
— Jackson Lears, Nation, 26 Feb. 2007
My own feelings were that since I'd jettisoned employment, marriage, nostalgia and swampy regret, I was now rightfully a man aquiver with possibility and purpose …
— Richard Ford, Independence Day, 1995
… the script is written in advance, around the uplifting themes of our civic religion: reconciliation, patriotism, self-sacrifice, the bond of leader and little guy, nostalgia for what is inevitably called "a simpler time."
— Katha Pollitt, Nation, 22 May 1995
Nevertheless, if one understands the nostalgia for war which marked these years of his break with America, it still remains a nostalgia that is empyreal and histrionic. Only once in his career did MacArthur lead as small a body of men as a company—one somehow feels that the idea of MacArthur, even as a boy, in command of anything less than a division verges on the ludicrous …
— William Styron, "MacArthur," 8 Oct. 1964,
in This Quiet Dust and Other Writings, 1982
A wave of nostalgia swept over me when I saw my childhood home.
He was filled with nostalgia for his college days.
See More
Recent Examples on the Web
One can see why the ambiance resonated with Musgraves, who often sports a nostalgia-laden aesthetic. — Los Angeles Times, "Kacey Musgraves and Tom’s One Hour Photo: The whole story," 31 Aug. 2019 Newman, an active film composer, conducted most of the evening, which was mostly music by Williams with a few pieces by Alfred Newman (old Hollywood mainstay and David Newman’s father); in short, nostalgia-tripping all the way down the mountain. — Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, "At Tanglewood, summer ends with film giant John Williams and other time-honored traditions," 26 Aug. 2019 As summer draws to a close, shopping for school supplies – weaving through the crowded aisles of glue sticks and scissors, with your kids in tow – might trigger a sense of nostalgia for your own youth. — Leila Atassi, cleveland.com, "Is it just me, or does this Cleveland public school supply list seem excessive?: Leila Atassi," 22 Aug. 2019 South Africa's human rights commission joined the application, arguing that those waving the old flag felt nostalgia for the apartheid days. — NBC News, "South Africa court: Using apartheid-era flag is hate speech, should be punished," 22 Aug. 2019 But California’s leaders continued to nurture a nostalgia for the Old South. — Kevin Waite, The New Republic, "California’s Forgotten Confederate History," 19 Aug. 2019 Their striking resemblance to teen bedrooms of the early 2000s provoked a wave of nostalgia for my own upbringing. — Ilana Kaplan, Curbed, "Why we’re obsessed with the TV teen bedroom," 14 Aug. 2019 Especially for nostalgia-crazy fans (and there are plenty of them), Easter eggs, in-jokes and photos and clips from the original series will satisfy. — Kelly Lawler, USA TODAY, "'BH 90210' recap: Welcome to the surreal world," 7 Aug. 2019 Right now, these Kodiak Cakes Bear Bites are my favorite nostalgia-inducing snack that still check off the I’m-a-functioning-adult boxes: whole grains, non-GMO ingredients, and a considerable amount of protein. — Sunset Staff, Sunset Magazine, "Pull This Pork, Dip That Chip, and 5 More Things to See & Do This Week," 29 July 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'nostalgia.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
More Definitions for nostalgia
nostalgia
noun
English Language Learners Definition of nostalgia
: pleasure and sadness that is caused by remembering something from the past and wishing that you could experience it again
See the full definition for nostalgia in the English Language Learners Dictionary
nostalgia
noun
nos·tal·gia
| \ nä-ˈstal-jə
\
\
Kids Definition of nostalgia
: a longing for something past
nostalgia
noun
nos·tal·gia
| \ nä-ˈstal-jə, nə-, nȯ-; nə-ˈstäl-
\
\
Medical Definition of nostalgia
1
: the state of being homesick
2
: a wistful or excessively sentimental sometimes abnormal yearning for return to or of some past period or irrecoverable condition
Other Words from nostalgia
nostalgic
\ -jik
\
adjective
\
adjective
nostalgically
\ -ji-k(ə-)lē
\
adverb
\
adverb
Keep scrolling for more