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

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said: "The thousands of passengers who travel with London Northwestern and West Midlands Railway will be using services that are owned by the public and run with their interests at heart."

From BBC

Though a comedic performer at heart, O’Hara, as they say, had range.

From Los Angeles Times

And longer term, we think he is still a hawk at heart, if inflation turns out less benign than he expects.

From Barron's

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