bleeding heart
Americannoun
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any of various plants belonging to the genus Dicentra, of the fumitory family, especially D. spectabilis, a common garden plant having long, one-sided clusters of rose or red heart-shaped flowers.
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a person who makes an ostentatious or excessive display of pity or concern for others.
noun
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any of several plants of the genus Dicentra , esp the widely cultivated Japanese species D. spectabilis , which has finely divided leaves and heart-shaped nodding pink flowers: family Fumariaceae
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informal
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a person who is excessively softhearted
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( as modifier )
a bleeding-heart liberal
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Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of bleeding heart
First recorded in 1685–95
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.
Harry declares to Sally with a vulnerable, piercing and bleeding heart all the ways he loves and sees her for the person that she is — not just some consolation prize:
From Salon ● Oct. 4, 2023
Sardonic, hard-nosed Jen and flighty, bleeding heart Judy are returning after more than two years, so fans may need a binge-watch refresher on their high jinks.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 30, 2022
Anyway, the first time I listened to this song as an idealistic teenager, it did my bleeding heart good.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 1, 2022
As “Valentine” so poignantly illustrates, the surest route out of a terrible feeling is straight through its bleeding heart.
From New York Times ● Nov. 5, 2021
“Oh! my cousin! Heal my bleeding heart with one trumpet note of manly indignation.”
From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling
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.
