at heart
Idioms-
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.”
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In one's deepest feelings, as a great concern, as in The governor has the party's best interests at heart . [Early 1700s]
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.
"I feel completely British now. Maybe 10 years ago if you'd asked me the question, it would be a bit different. Now I feel very British at heart."
From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2026
I’m a portrait photographer at heart, and portraiture is my first love.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 2, 2026
The man is rhapsodically shameless—oafishly charismatic, memorably strange-looking—a cynic at heart, and a carny in spirit.
From Slate ● Jun. 11, 2026
But Stephania lived in turmoil, because she was a feminist at heart.
From Salon ● Jun. 8, 2026
We are all, at heart, gradualists, our expectations set by the steady passage of time.
From "The Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell
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.
