nostalgia
noun
nos·tal·gia
nä-ˈstal-jə 
nə-,
also nȯ-,
nō-;
nə-ˈstäl-
1
: a wistful or excessively sentimental yearning for return to or of some past period or irrecoverable condition
also
: something that evokes nostalgia
2
: the state of being homesick : homesickness
nostalgist
noun
plural nostalgists
… is no nostalgist chasing the resurrection of the grand old days.
—
Joe O'Connor
Examples of nostalgia in a Sentence
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.
Recent Examples on the Web
Spooky season might be over, but Netflix is counting on the fact that teen slasher movies are always in—particularly the ones banking on nostalgia.
—Lissete Lanuza Sáenz, StyleCaster, 5 Nov. 2024
Even with its distinctly contemporary height and ratio, this element adds a sense of nostalgia to the building’s profile.
—Jessica Cherner, Architectural Digest, 5 Nov. 2024
Scout Motors is pitched as a rugged, American brand, heavy on the nostalgia.
—Aarian Marshall, WIRED, 3 Nov. 2024
Each design is inspired by vintage Christmas cards and personal holiday moments, adding an extra layer of nostalgia to the experience.
—Rachel King, Forbes, 1 Nov. 2024
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Dictionary Entries Near nostalgia
Cite this Entry
“Nostalgia.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nostalgia. Accessed 25 Nov. 2024.
Kids Definition
Medical Definition
nostalgia
noun
nos·tal·gia
nä-ˈstal-jə, nə-, nȯ-; nə-ˈstäl-
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
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