Saudade is a Portuguese word that describes a feeling of longing, melancholy, or nostalgia for something or someone that is absent. It is a bittersweet feeling that combines happiness and pain, as one feels the joy of fond memories along with the sadness of separation from the person or thing being remembered. Saudade is a feeling of wanting closeness with a loved one who is not present and brings to mind images of past experiences and imagined interactions with them.