creve coeur: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
Low / RareFormal / Literary
Quick answer
What does “creve coeur” mean?
A heartbreak.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
A heartbreak; a profound disappointment or source of deep sorrow.
Something that causes intense emotional pain, grief, or bitter disappointment, often by dashing hopes or representing a painful failure.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Equally rare in both varieties. More likely to be encountered in literary or intellectual contexts. No significant usage difference.
Connotations
Elegiac, literary, somewhat pretentious if used outside appropriate contexts.
Frequency
Extremely low frequency in everyday language. Most common in translations of French literature, literary criticism, or highly stylised writing.
Grammar
How to Use “creve coeur” in a Sentence
[Event/Outcome] was a crève-cœur for [Person]It is a crève-cœur to see/hear...To [Person], the loss was a crève-cœur.Vocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “creve coeur” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- N/A – the term is a noun phrase.
American English
- N/A – the term is a noun phrase.
adverb
British English
- N/A – the term is a noun phrase.
American English
- N/A – the term is a noun phrase.
adjective
British English
- N/A – the term is a noun phrase.
American English
- N/A – the term is a noun phrase.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Virtually never used.
Academic
Possible in literary, historical, or cultural studies discussing French concepts or translated works.
Everyday
Extremely rare; would be marked as highly unusual or affected.
Technical
Not used.
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “creve coeur”
Strong
Neutral
Vocabulary
Antonyms of “creve coeur”
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “creve coeur”
- Mispronouncing as 'kreev koor'.
- Using it for trivial disappointments.
- Misspelling (e.g., creve cour, creve coeur without hyphen).
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No, it is a very rare, literary loan phrase from French. Using it in everyday conversation would sound affected.
Approximately 'krev ker' (/ˌkɹɛv ˈkɜː/ in UK, /ˌkɹɛv ˈkɝ/ in US), attempting to approximate the French.
No. In English, it is only used as a noun phrase meaning 'a heartbreak' or 'source of deep sorrow'.
'Heartbreak' or 'bitter disappointment' are the closest common equivalents.
Creve coeur is usually formal / literary in register.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “a real crève-cœur”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of the French phrase 'crève-cœur' – it sounds like 'crevice' (a crack) in the 'heart' (cœur). A crack in the heart is a heartbreak.
Conceptual Metaphor
EMOTIONAL PAIN IS PHYSICAL INJURY (a breaking of the heart).
Practice
Quiz
In which context would the term 'crève-cœur' be LEAST appropriate?