softhearted
Britishadjective
Other Word Forms
Explanation
If you're softhearted, you're extremely caring and considerate—maybe even a little too much. Softhearted people generally make better kindergarten teachers than professional boxers. A softhearted car salesperson might give a discount to a buyer who doesn't have much money, and a softhearted teacher may give you an extra day to finish your project if you're feeling overworked in your other classes. The opposite of softhearted is hardhearted or heartless. A hardhearted person might walk right past a lost, crying child, while a softhearted person will probably stop and try to help.
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.
Rather, as with her other novels, there’s a softhearted universalism to Lalami’s treatment of surveillance capitalism.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 27, 2025
Gene Takavic is simply the frosting around several layers surrounding a softhearted center – and we all know that the center is the best part.
From Salon ● Jul. 26, 2022
The hard-hitting rap of “Slugger” bleeds into a softhearted track like “Sierra Nights,” which sounds like a coming-of-age movie.
From New York Times ● Sep. 17, 2021
Weak but wealthy, smart but softhearted, Tyrion’s ever-variable status was a microcosm of the instability of the Seven Kingdoms.
From Slate ● Apr. 11, 2019
“Yes, you all love something, softhearted as you are,” he said.
From "Inkheart" by Cornelia Funke
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
