bleeding heart

noun

1. any of various plants belonging to the genus Dicentra, of the fumitory family, especially D. spectabilis, a common garden plant having long, one-sided clusters of rose or red heart-shaped flowers.
2. a person who makes an ostentatious or excessive display of pity or concern for others.

bleeding heart

noun

1. any of several plants of the genus Dicentra , esp the widely cultivated Japanese species D. spectabilis , which has finely divided leaves and heart-shaped nodding pink flowers: family Fumariaceae
2. informal.
   1. a person who is excessively softhearted
   2. ( as modifier )

      a bleeding-heart liberal

Other Words From

• bleeding-heart adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of bleeding heart¹

First recorded in 1685–95

Example Sentences

Government bureaucrats are often depicted as wasteful and inefficient bleeding hearts with secret, sinister and sometimes "socialist" agendas.

From Salon

Alimouri’s “bleeding heart” came from his father, who fled Iran after opposing both the shah and the country’s Islamic regime, finding work in the United States as a chauffeur.

From Los Angeles Times

Have San Francisco voters lost the bleeding hearts they have been known for — or are they just frustrated?

From New York Times

I come into the world with this sort of open, bleeding heart — I expose myself because I’m a romantic.

From Los Angeles Times

Vehicle residents opened up to Darsie, maybe because the retiree looked like a sweet old lady, said Adams, who once gave Darsie a “bleeding heart” plant to tend in her garden.

From Seattle Times