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.
It is, at heart, a cooperative act—a republic the size of a field.
From Slate • Jun. 11, 2026
But Stephania lived in turmoil, because she was a feminist at heart.
From Salon • Jun. 8, 2026
The longer you live, the more likely you are to realize that not everyone has your best interests at heart.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 8, 2026
Reviewing the first-season finale, I wrote that the series was at heart a romantic comedy.
From Los Angeles Times • May 29, 2026
You feel lost, sick at heart before such unmasked hatred, not so much because it threatens you as because it shows humans in such an inhuman light.
From "Black Like Me" by John Howard Griffin
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.
