hearty
Americanadjective
-
heartier,
comparative
-
heartiest
superlative
-
warm-hearted; affectionate; cordial; jovial.
a hearty welcome.
-
genuine; sincere; heartfelt.
hearty approval; hearty dislike.
-
completely devoted; wholehearted.
hearty support.
-
exuberant; unrestrained.
hearty laughter.
-
violent; forceful.
a hearty push; a hearty kick.
-
physically vigorous; strong and well.
hale and hearty.
-
substantial; abundant; nourishing.
a hearty meal.
-
enjoying or requiring abundant food.
a hearty appetite.
-
(of soil) fertile.
noun
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hearties
plural
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a brave or good fellow, especially with reference to a shipmate.
-
a sailor.
adjective
-
warm and unreserved in manner or behaviour
-
vigorous and enthusiastic
a hearty slap on the back
-
sincere and heartfelt
hearty dislike
-
healthy and strong (esp in the phrase hale and hearty )
-
substantial and nourishing
noun
-
a comrade, esp a sailor
-
a vigorous sporting man
a rugby hearty
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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heartinessnoun
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overheartinessnoun
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superheartinessnoun
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overheartyadjective
-
quasi-heartyadjective
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superheartyadjective
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unheartyadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Adjectives
Etymology
Origin of hearty
First recorded in 1350–1400, hearty is from the Middle English word herti. See heart, -y 1
Explanation
Hearty describes abundant, full, and satisfying things, and lively, strong, and enthusiastic people. A bowl of thick chili with cheese and a glass of milk is hearty. A spoon of water with a grape? Not so hearty. You can't miss the "heart" in hearty. Words like "wholehearted" and "half-hearted" also have "heart" and are a help in remembering the adjective hearty. If you put your whole heart into anything from walking a dog to saying good morning to your friends, you're hearty and full of life. Something half-hearted is weak and not hearty. A loud laugh that fills a room is very hearty; you can almost feel its fullness. If it comes from the heart and adds well-being and happiness, it's probably hearty.
Vocabulary lists containing hearty
The SAT: Multiple-Meaning Words, List 5
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The New SAT: Multiple-Meaning Words
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100 Great Words from "Fahrenheit 451" -- Part I Vocabulary
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Between games of table tennis and cheap, hearty lunches, the group remembers a vibrant town, full of people and shops they wanted to go to.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
For centuries, they have dished up wine from the surrounding vineyards to wash down typically hearty central European fare.
From Barron's ● Jul. 26, 2026
After bidding a hearty olé to my literary brethren, I reach Café Gijón, outside the bounds of Las Letras, but not its spirit.
From Salon ● Jun. 23, 2026
A small but hearty contingent of New Zealand cheered.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 16, 2026
He saluted me in a hearty way, and hoped that I had had a good night’s rest.
From "Dracula" by Bram Stoker
In the perennial war between the aesthetes and the hearties, the hearties do not always win.
From The Guardian ● Feb. 10, 2012
On the first reading I overdid the "Oooh-arr me hearties" piratical voice, on the grounds that if you can't camp things up reading to your children at bedtime there's no point going on.
From The Guardian ● Aug. 3, 2011
Right then me hearties, we are under way for the second half.
From BBC ● Jan. 24, 2010
This year's Rolleo, attended last week by hearties from 1,200 camps, was distinguished by the joyous rite of selecting "Pauline Bunyan," a suitable mate for skyscraping Paul.
From Time Magazine Archive
When he heard them stir he clapped his hands, and cried: ‘Hey! Come merry dol! derry dol! My hearties!’
From "The Fellowship of the Ring" by J.R.R. Tolkien
Or, include a small side dish, like macaroni and cheese, to make your board heartier.
From Salon ● Jun. 28, 2026
Don’t miss some returning favorites, such as the barbacoa tamal de res, in which the beef is pleasantly tender, or the braised pork belly adobo, one of the heartier dishes at the festival.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 19, 2025
After the holidays, top the salad with a runny fried egg for a heartier meal evocative of its bistro roots.
From Washington Times ● Dec. 22, 2023
Kowalski would squeeze them into rehydrated soup to make meals heartier.
From Scientific American ● Sep. 19, 2023
And so I went to work each day in the quarry, a bone-breaking job that killed heartier men than me, and waited to die.
From "Not Nothing" by Gayle Forman
And thus I offer a heartiest and hopeful welcome to 2026.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 31, 2025
Seven years later to the day, former “Saturday Night Live” star Pete Davidson marked the anniversary of Khashoggi’s killing by slinging some of his heartiest har-hars at the Bakr al-Sheddi Theater.
From Salon ● Oct. 5, 2025
The heartiest proto–quantum computers today boast hundreds of qubits, far short of the millions or billions they will probably need to operate error-free.
From Science Magazine ● Dec. 20, 2023
In a trolley car that is rumored to have driven the capital’s streets between 1894 and 1912, Luxury Diner serves the city’s heartiest and homiest breakfast and lunch.
From Washington Post ● Jul. 10, 2019
The Championship you have won is a great personal triumph for you and I am pleased to join countless of your fellow-citizens in extending my heartiest congratulations and best wishes.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
