Advertisement

Advertisement

hearted

[ hahr-tid ]

adjective

  1. having a specified feeling, mood, personality trait, or kind of heart (now used only in combination):

    hardhearted;

    sad-hearted.

  2. fixed or present in the heart.


-hearted

adjective

  1. having a heart or disposition as specified

    great-hearted

    good-hearted

    heavy-hearted

    cold-hearted

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Discover More

Other Words From

  • heart·ed·ly adverb
  • heart·ed·ness noun
Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of hearted1

First recorded in 1175–1225, hearted is from the Middle English word iherted. See y-, heart, -ed 3
Discover More

Example Sentences

The chat was often light hearted - how he was settling into his wardrobe of sustainable clothing, the perils of having a beard when your daughter doesn’t like it and the ‘papa’ bracelet she made for him when he took his children to see Taylor Swift.

From BBC

Over nine weeks, dozens of witnesses gave evidence about the final months of the teen's life – describing a "kind hearted" yet “vulnerable” young woman who struggled to discern between “love and exploitation”.

From BBC

Constructed around a sped-up snippet of “I Believe to My Soul” by the late jazz and R&B saxophonist Monk Higgins, it was just one of many tracks he’d texted Lamar in hopes of collaborating someday; he remembers that Lamar “hearted” that particular message in their chat but didn’t know how the rapper had used the instrumental until “Not Like Us” came out amid the beef with Drake.

In the letter, Mr Billingham accepted his faults and described Beal as "kind hearted", "generous" and "the most beautiful woman in the world".

From BBC

But he’s got the soul of a monk, the spirit of a child — he’s so loyal and good hearted, and he’s not what you expect from a reality TV star.

Advertisement

Discover More

More About Hearted

What does hearted mean?

Hearted is used in compound words to mean “having a specific type of personality or trait.” The word that precedes hearted indicates the type of personality or trait, as in hardhearted or warm-hearted.

Hearted can also be used by itself to mean “present in the heart,” but this usage is very rare.

Example: Tim’s so kindhearted that he gave his coat to a homeless man on his walk home today.

Where does hearted come from?

Hearted is an old word, originating in Middle English and first recorded in English around 1200. It has had several meanings throughout the years. Obsolete meanings include “wise” (1400s), “courageous” (1500s), and “heart-shaped” (1700s–1800s). A fairly rare modern sense of hearted is used to describe vegetables that have an inner compact part called a heart, such as cabbage.

Most commonly, however, hearted refers to a human heart. In English, heart is used not only to refer to the literal organ but also for a wide range of figurative meanings. Usually, these refer to the emotional center of a person or to a person’s overall personality. It’s this meaning of hearted that can be paired with all sorts of adjectives, both positive or negative, to produce adjectives that describe a person or an action. A person can be cold-hearted (cruel) or warm-hearted (kind), tender-hearted (compassionate) or hardhearted (unfeeling or unmerciful), lighthearted (carefree) or sad-hearted (sorrowful). (As you can see, use of a hyphen varies.)

You can also use these derived adjectives to create adverbs by adding -ly, as in She told me cold-heartedly that she never wanted to see me again.

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms of hearted?

  • heartedly (adverb)

What are some synonyms for hearted?

What are some words that share a root or word element with hearted?

 

What are some words that often get used in discussing hearted?

 

How is hearted used in real life?

When used to describe a personality or action, hearted is always used in combination with another word. In all cases, it refers to the popular notion of the heart as the center of human emotion.

 

 

Try using hearted!

Is hearted used correctly in the following sentence?

We are looking for a teacher who is very kindness-hearted.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement


heart diseaseheartedly