What does Nostalgia mean?

Definitions for Nostalgia
nɒˈstæl dʒə, -dʒi ə, nə-nos·tal·gia

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word Nostalgia.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. nostalgianoun

    longing for something past

GCIDE

  1. nostalgianoun

    A sentimental yearning to return to an earlier time remembered as happier or more pleasant, or a former place evoking happy memories; a longing to experience again a former happy time; as, a nostalgia for the brotherhood of the Woodstock music festival; a nostalgia for the comradeship of one's college friends.

Wiktionary

  1. nostalgianoun

    A longing for home or familiar surroundings; homesickness.

  2. nostalgianoun

    A bittersweet yearning for the things of the past.

  3. nostalgianoun

    Reminiscence of the speaker's childhood or younger years.

  4. Etymology: From nostalgia, from * (nostalgia), from νόστος + ἄλγος. Compare Italian nostalgia and French nostalgie.

ChatGPT

  1. nostalgia

    Nostalgia is a sentimental longing or wistful affection for a period in the past. It can refer to the joy and sadness that comes from thinking about or remembering past experiences, places, events, or people. It is often associated with a yearning for the perceived simplicity, comfort, or pleasantness of earlier times.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Nostalgianoun

    homesickness; esp., a severe and sometimes fatal form of melancholia, due to homesickness

  2. Etymology: [NL., fr. Gr. a return home + pain.]

Wikidata

  1. Nostalgia

    The term nostalgia describes a sentimentality for the past, typically for a period or place with happy personal associations. The word is a learned formation of a Greek compound, consisting of νόστος, meaning "homecoming", a Homeric word, and ἄλγος, meaning "pain, ache", and was coined by a 17th-century medical student to describe the anxieties displayed by Swiss mercenaries fighting away from home. Described as a medical condition—a form of melancholy—in the Early Modern period, it became an important trope in Romanticism. In common, less clinical usage, nostalgia can refer to a general interest in the past, their personalities, and events, especially the "good old days" from one's earlier life. Boym argues that nostalgia is more prevalent during times of great upheaval. The scientific literature on nostalgia is quite thin, but a few studies have attempted to pin down the its essence and causes. Smell and touch are strong evokers of nostalgia due to the processing of these stimuli first passing through the amygdala, the emotional seat of the brain. These recollections of our past are usually important events, people we care about, and places where we have spent time. Music and weather can also be a strong trigger of nostalgia.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary

  1. Nostalgia

    nos-tal′ji-a, n. home-sickness, esp. when morbid.—adj. Nostal′gic. [Gr. nostos, a return, algos, pain.]

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Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of Nostalgia in Chaldean Numerology is: 1

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of Nostalgia in Pythagorean Numerology is: 8

Examples of Nostalgia in a Sentence

  1. Andrew Morgan:

    When I saw that, I actually got choked up with nostalgia, it made me think about missing my family during Christmas, but also just the thoughtfulness of Christina's gesture. She had paid attention to that little detail, and it was extremely meaningful. It's one of the many memories I cherish from my time on the space station.

  2. Peter De Vries:

    Nostalgia isn't what it used to be.

  3. Dave Cribb:

    I thought it was just really well done, a really nice blend of nostalgia and emotion, and it was great to see them all so genuinely moved by meeting up again, our podcast listeners have really loved, judging it by the messages we've been getting.

  4. Gary Landis:

    Everybody has grandma’s clock in the attic and it’s a nostalgia thing and they want to bring it down, they remember as a little child that grandma had that clock.

  5. Ken Johnson:

    There is sort of a nostalgia among many for rural America, i think that sometimes, places are often better in memory than in reality. But for others, I think some of the return migration of older adults in a rural area is about that (sense of) community they may have felt as young people.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

Nostalgia#10000#16975#100000

Translations for Nostalgia

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"Nostalgia." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Mar. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/Nostalgia>.

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