at heart

Idioms  

1. Fundamentally, basically, as in He's a good fellow at heart . It was first recorded in Alexander Pope's Epistle to a Lady (1735): “But every Woman is at heart a Rake.”

2. In one's deepest feelings, as a great concern, as in The governor has the party's best interests at heart . [Early 1700s]

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Example Sentences

No wonder that the century in which we now live is still widely regarded as, at heart, a new one, filled with both promise and trepidation.

From The Wall Street Journal

Both campaigners and herders insist they have the reindeer's best interests at heart.

From BBC

"We have Tom's best interests at heart and we've worked closely with his family throughout to ensure Tom gets the support he needs," a spokesman said.

From BBC

“I tried for months, but as long as he was threatened by me, he would never have my best interest at heart,” she said.

From The Wall Street Journal

But at heart it’s a sinuous expression of its writer-director’s notions about people, movies, places and the past.

From Los Angeles Times