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Unrequited love—the bittersweet pain of loving someone who doesn’t love you back—has inspired poets, songwriters, and storytellers for centuries. If you’re learning English, understanding idioms related to this feeling will not only boost your vocabulary (VOC) but also help you grasp the emotions in movies, music, and literature.
Here are 10 vivid idioms and phrases to describe one-sided love, complete with meanings, examples, and cultural context.
10 Unrequited Love Idioms
Here are ten unrequited love Idioms that you may need to describe the intense pain of loving someone who doesn’t love you back! Let’s explore these emotionally charged idioms that capture the essence of sorrowful romance.
1. Carry a Torch for Someone
Meaning: To secretly love someone for a long time without reciprocation.
Example:
- “Even after 10 years, he still carries a torch for his college crush.”
Origin: From old-fashioned torch processions symbolizing undying devotion.
2. Love is Blind
Meaning: When someone loves another person despite clear incompatibility or lack of interest.
Example:
- “She keeps forgiving him—guess love is blind!”
Shakespeare Connection: Used in The Merchant of Venice (1600s).
3. Pine Away (For Someone)
Meaning: To suffer emotionally from longing.
Example:
- “Ever since he moved abroad, she’s been pining away for him.”
Grammar Note: Often paired with “over” or “for.”
4. One-Sided Love/Affair
Meaning: A relationship where only one person is emotionally invested.
Example:
- “Their marriage was a one-sided affair—he adored her, but she was distant.”
5. Barking Up the Wrong Tree
Meaning: Pursuing someone who will never return your feelings.
Example:
- “If you think she’ll change her mind, you’re barking up the wrong tree.”
Fun Fact: Comes from hunting dogs chasing prey up the wrong tree!
6. Wear Your Heart on Your Sleeve
Meaning: To openly show emotions (often making unrequited love obvious).
Example:
- “He wears his heart on his sleeve, so everyone knows he’s in love with her.”
Shakespeare Link: Othello popularized this phrase.
7. Hopelessly Devoted (To Someone)
Meaning: Extremely loyal to someone who doesn’t feel the same.
Example:
- “Like Olivia Newton-John’s song, he’s hopelessly devoted to her.”
Pop Culture: Famous from Grease (1978).
8. Die for Someone (Dramatic Hyperbole)
Meaning: To emphasize extreme, often unreturned love.
Example:
- “Ugh, I’d die for him… but he doesn’t even know I exist.”
Usage: Common in teenage slang and pop songs.
9. Have a Crush on Someone (That Won’t Fade)
Meaning: A persistent, unrequited infatuation.
Example:
- “She’s had a crush on her coworker for years, but he sees her as just a friend.”
Interesting Fact: “Crush” literally means to press or squeeze something with force until it breaks or loses shape, but here it is used figuratively to mean having a strong, often temporary, romantic feeling for someone—usually without the other person knowing.
10. Left Hanging
Meaning: When someone’s romantic feelings are ignored or unanswered.
Example:
- “He confessed his love but was left hanging—she never replied.”
Modern Usage: Also used for unanswered texts/confessions.
How to Use These Idioms
Understanding idioms is one thing – but using them naturally is the real challenge. Here’s how to incorporate these unrequited love expressions in different contexts:
- In Creative Writing: Use them in dialogue for natural speech:
Example: “I know you think love is blind, but open your eyes – she’s just not into you!” - In Everyday Conversation: The above idioms are frequent in everyday speech. Here are examples where they may be used:
- Comforting a friend:
“I know you’re carrying a torch for him, but don’t waste years pining over someone who left you hanging.” - Self-deprecating humor:
“Ugh, I’m hopelessly devoted to someone who doesn’t even know my name – how pathetic is that?” - Giving advice:
“Stop wearing your heart on your sleeve so much – you’re setting yourself up for hurt.”
- Comforting a friend:
Final Thought
These unrequited love idioms help us express complex emotions in poetic and powerful ways. These phrases will give your language depth and nuance, whether you’re writing a love letter or just trying to describe heartbreak.
Do you know someone who is experiencing an unrequited love? Share these idioms with them!
Want more idioms? Check our collection of idiomatic expressions in English organized in various categories!
