longing for you

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "longing for you" is correct and usable in written English. You can use it to express a deep emotional desire or yearning for someone. Example: "Every night, I find myself longing for you." Alternative expressions include "yearning for you" and "missing you."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Academia

Wiki

Reference

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

14 human-written examples

Another lonely year longing for you with all our love.

The New York Times

Floridan said that he told Georgi, "We are longing for you".

The New Yorker

As I completed a plan that spread the pain pretty evenly, I found myself wistfully longing for you to follow up with a menu of political strategies that could actually get us to a balanced budget.

The New York Times

But there are children longing for you to step up and pull them into your arms.

Huffington Post

The notoriously anti-semitic pro-government newspaper Yeni Akit (with a readership of 58,000) was a tad more "creative", publishing a crossword puzzle with Hitler's picture at the center and the slogan "We are longing for you!" which appears when the puzzle is solved.

Huffington Post

My longing for you is great.

Princeton University

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

46 human-written examples

'Tristan und Isolde" is about longing for something you never reach.

The Washington Post

"Saudade," the famous Portuguese word that has no apt translation, could be described as a profound state of longing for something you love.

The Washington Post

Saudade (Portugees): The feeling of longing for someone you love, but is far away.

HuffPost

In the paraphrased words of my favorite character from my father's least favorite play, life is a matter of painful progress, longing for what you've left behind while dreaming ahead.

Vice

Its an album that leaves you longing for a world you never knew in the first place, softening England's edges through the glitch and fuzz of a VHS player.

Vice

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

The phrase works exceptionally well in creative writing, personal letters and narrative journalism to evoke empathy in the reader.

Common error

Ensure you do not accidentally use "belonging for you" when you mean "longing for you". While "longing" describes an internal state of desire, "belonging" refers to a state of ownership or proper place. Additionally, avoid overusing the phrase in professional business communications, as it is often too intimate for formal workplace settings.

Linguistic Context

In terms of function, "longing for you" typically serves as a participial phrase or the core of a gerund phrase. According to Ludwig, it is frequently used after auxiliary verbs (e.g. "am longing") or as a subject/object in a sentence (e.g. "my longing for you"). It indicates an ongoing state of desire or absence.

Expression frequency: Common

Frequent in

News & Media

65%

Academia

15%

Wiki

10%

Less common in

Science

5%

Formal & Business

3%

Social Media

2%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In conclusion, "longing for you" is a linguistically sound and emotionally evocative phrase. Ludwig AI confirms that it is widely accepted across a variety of high-authority sources, ranging from academic archives at Princeton University to contemporary reporting in The New York Times. It is most effective when used to describe an intense, poignant desire that simple alternatives like "missing you" cannot fully capture. While too personal for most business contexts, it remains a powerful tool in the English language for expressing the human experience of absence and desire.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

yearning for you

Suggests a more persistent and deeply felt desire.

missing you

More common and less intense than longing.

pining for you

Implies a visible wasting away or intense emotional suffering from absence.

aching for you

Adds a physical dimension to the emotional pain of desire.

craving you

Suggests a visceral or biological need.

desiring you

More formal and often carries a romantic or sexual connotation.

thirsting for you

A metaphorical way to show an extreme need, often used in poetic contexts.

wanting you

A simpler, more direct expression of desire.

hungering for you

Similar to craving, emphasizing a metaphorical hunger.

seeking you

Implies an active search or quest for the person's presence.

FAQs

How to use "longing for you" in a sentence?

You can use it as part of a continuous verb tense or a noun phrase. For example: "I have been "longing for you" since you left" or "My "longing for you" is unbearable."

What can I say instead of "longing for you"?

Depending on the intensity, you can use phrases like "yearning for you", "missing you" or "pining for you".

Is "longing for you" grammatically correct?

Yes, it is perfectly correct. As noted in Ludwig, the phrase is a standard construction using the present participle of the verb "long" followed by the prepositional phrase "for you".

What is the difference between "longing for you" and "missing you"?

"missing you" is a general statement of absence, whereas "longing for you" implies a much stronger, more persistent and emotional yearning that often includes a sense of sadness or nostalgia.