All 18 Uses of

yearn
in
Middlemarch

Their ardor alternated between a vague ideal and the common yearning of womanhood; so that the one was disapproved as extravagance, and the other condemned as a lapse.†
Chpt Prel

yearning = strongly desiring; or a strong desire

Her mind was theoretic, and yearned by its nature after some lofty conception of the world which might frankly include the parish of Tipton and her own rule of conduct there; she was enamoured of intensity and greatness, and rash in embracing whatever seemed to her to have those aspects; likely to seek martyrdom, to make retractations, and then to incur martyrdom after all in a quarter where she had not sought it.†
Chpt 1

yearned = strongly desired

Yours, I trust, as the mistress of Lowick, will not leave any yearning unfulfilled.†
Chpt 1

yearning = strongly desiring; or a strong desire

But something she yearned for by which her life might be filled with action at once rational and ardent; and since the time was gone by for guiding visions and spiritual directors, since prayer heightened yearning but not instruction, what lamp was there but knowledge?†
Chpt 1

yearned = strongly desired

But something she yearned for by which her life might be filled with action at once rational and ardent; and since the time was gone by for guiding visions and spiritual directors, since prayer heightened yearning but not instruction, what lamp was there but knowledge?†
Chpt 1

yearning = strongly desiring; or a strong desire

With all her yearning to know what was afar from her and to be widely benignant, she had ardor enough for what was near, to have kissed Mr. Casaubon's coat-sleeve, or to have caressed his shoe-latchet, if he would have made any other sign of acceptance than pronouncing her, with his unfailing propriety, to be of a most affectionate and truly feminine nature, indicating at the same time by politely reaching a chair for her that he regarded these manifestations as rather crude and startling.†
Chpt 2

Mrs. Vincy told these messages to Fred when he could listen, and he turned towards her his delicate, pinched face, from which all the thick blond hair had been cut away, and in which the eyes seemed to have got larger, yearning for some word about Mary—wondering what she felt about his illness.†
Chpt 3

Inclination yearned back to its old, easier custom.†
Chpt 3

yearned = strongly desired

The web itself is made of spontaneous beliefs and indefinable joys, yearnings of one life towards another, visions of completeness, indefinite trust.†
Chpt 4

yearnings = strong desires

Then again she was conscious of another change which also made her tremulous; it was a sudden strange yearning of heart towards Will Ladislaw.†
Chpt 5

yearning = strongly desiring; or a strong desire

She had a great yearning to be at Lowick, and was simply determined to go, not feeling bound to tell all her reasons.†
Chpt 6

It had seemed to him as if they were like two creatures slowly turning to marble in each other's presence, while their hearts were conscious and their eyes were yearning.†
Chpt 6

But this power of generalizing which gives men so much the superiority in mistake over the dumb animals, was immediately thwarted by Lydgate's memory of wondering impressions from the behavior of another woman—from Dorothea's looks and tones of emotion about her husband when Lydgate began to attend him—from her passionate cry to be taught what would best comfort that man for whose sake it seemed as if she must quell every impulse in her except the yearnings of faithfulness and compassion.†
Chpt 6

yearnings = strong desires

But Mrs. Dunkirk had qualms and yearnings about her daughter, who had long been regarded as lost both to God and her parents.†
Chpt 6

The idea of some active good within her reach, "haunted her like a passion," and another's need having once come to her as a distinct image, preoccupied her desire with the yearning to give relief, and made her own ease tasteless.†
Chpt 8

yearning = strongly desiring; or a strong desire

She yearned towards the perfect Right, that it might make a throne within her, and rule her errant will.†
Chpt 8 *

yearned = strongly desired

She tried to thrust away the too overpowering thought of her own relief, lest she should fail to win some sign that Rosamond's affection was yearning back towards her husband.†
Chpt 8

yearning = strongly desiring; or a strong desire

She looked as if there were a spell upon her, keeping her motionless and hindering her from unclasping her hands, while some intense, grave yearning was imprisoned within her eyes.†
Chpt 8

Definition:

have a strong desire -- often for something difficult or impossible to have