noun

saudade

sow-DAH-duh

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Saudade (noun) means a deep, bittersweet longing for someone or something absent, coloured by the knowledge that it may never come back and by pleasure at having known it at all. Example: “Fado is built on saudade: the singer misses a place she may never see again.”

noun

A deep, bittersweet longing for someone or something absent, coloured by the knowledge that it may never come back and by pleasure at having known it at all.

"Fado is built on saudade: the singer misses a place she may never see again."

"There is a quiet saudade in his letters home."

The feeling of missing a particular person, used in everyday Portuguese much as English uses I miss you.

"Tenho saudades de ti is what a Portuguese speaker says instead of I miss you."

How to use saudade

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishA sweet, aching feeling of missing someone or something.

When to use it

A borrowed word; literary in English, entirely everyday in Portuguese.

Memory tip

In Portuguese it is often used in the plural, saudades, without changing the sense.

Trace the full origin ↓

Easily confused with

nostalgia → hiraeth sehnsucht melancholy →

Common pairings

matar a saudade full of saudade a sense of saudade

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C2 · Advanced serendipity Fortunate discoveries made entirely by accident.

Gen Z slang rizz Charm — the ability to attract a romantic interest.

B2 · Intermediate empathy The capacity to share another person’s feelings.

C1 · Advanced nonchalant Casually calm and relaxed; unconcerned.

Internet slang delulu Delusional — believing something against the odds.

Etymology nostalgia Greek nostos “return home” + algos “pain”.

C2 · Advanced serendipity Fortunate discoveries made entirely by accident.

Gen Z slang rizz Charm — the ability to attract a romantic interest.

B2 · Intermediate empathy The capacity to share another person’s feelings.

C1 · Advanced nonchalant Casually calm and relaxed; unconcerned.

Internet slang delulu Delusional — believing something against the odds.

Etymology nostalgia Greek nostos “return home” + algos “pain”.

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Fill the gap

Can you complete this real example?

Fado is built on _____: the singer misses a place she may never see again.

Etymology

A Portuguese noun with no exact English equivalent; its earlier history is disputed, though it is often traced to Latin solitatem "solitude".

Origin: Portuguese

Synonyms

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longing yearning nostalgia wistfulness

Related words

wish hoping desire hunger appetite thirsty lust thirst

Rhymes for saudade

Ade made jade wade fade sade Bade Cade Dade trade blade spade

See all rhymes for saudade →

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between saudade and nostalgia?

Nostalgia looks back at a past you remember fondly. Saudade is aimed at an absence in the present: a person, a place or even a life you never had, which you long for now. Saudade also carries a sweetness inside the ache that nostalgia does not require.

Is there an English word for saudade?

There is no single one, which is why the Portuguese word gets borrowed. Longing comes closest, but it lacks the specific mixture of loss, love and acceptance that saudade carries in Portuguese and Brazilian culture.

What is the meaning of saudade?

"saudade" (noun) means a deep, bittersweet longing for someone or something absent, coloured by the knowledge that it may never come back and by pleasure at having known it at all.

What is another word for saudade?

Other words for "saudade" include longing, yearning, nostalgia, wistfulness.

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