lighthearted
Americanadjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of lighthearted
1375–1425; late Middle English ligt-herted; see light 2, heart, -ed 3
Explanation
Someone who tends to be happy and upbeat is lighthearted. When you are shopping for greeting cards, the lighthearted ones are the ones with the corny jokes, not the ones with pictures of dramatic sunsets. Words like joyful, blithe, and happy-go-lucky capture the sense of lighthearted. People can be lighthearted, and so can entertaining things, like lighthearted movies, your uncle's lighthearted teasing, or a lighthearted family sing-along. The "full of cheer" meaning of lighthearted dates from about 1400, from both senses of light: "bright" and "not heavy."
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.
Lighthearted moments are few, as are colors from winds or brass.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 18, 2026
Lighthearted and willfully insubstantial, with a certain lazy ease, the comedy first and foremost looks like it made for a delightful time in Hawaii for all involved.
From Los Angeles Times • May 13, 2020
Lighthearted and even juvenile humor is also back in a big way.
From Seattle Times • Jan. 31, 2020
Lighthearted charm carries the video, from the Snapchat-like filters that embellish Brown’s reactions to the spirited, British-accented readings he gives the half-dozen or so excerpts.
From Slate • Apr. 30, 2018
Lighthearted now, I put one foot on the wagon axle, whistled for T.R., and swung myself to the driver’s seat.
From "Cold Sassy Tree" by Olive Ann Burns
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.
