heartfelt
Americanadjective
adjective
Etymology
Origin of heartfelt
Explanation
If something is heartfelt, it's sincere and warm. It's clear from your elderly neighbor's heartfelt invitation that she genuinely wants you to come over for tea and cookies. When you're profoundly grateful to your favorite teacher, you'll offer her your heartfelt thanks. And when your best friend's dog dies, you'll give him your heartfelt sympathy. Things that are heartfelt are deeply emotional, believed or felt very strongly. The word dates from the 18th century, from heart, with its Old English root heorte, "heart, spirit, or mind."
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.
But after more than 10 failed bids of her own—and one heartfelt, pleading letter addressed to a seller—she has sworn off her own search for now.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 18, 2026
Paintings of the course hang on the walls, as do photographs of famous people with heartfelt inscriptions.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 12, 2026
Sarah Michelle Gellar, who played Buffy, wrote a heartfelt post invoking one of Xander’s comforting lines, a nod to the actor’s warmth both on and off screen.
From Salon • Mar. 21, 2026
News channel YTN lavished praise on Kang's "heartfelt message to Korea", referring to the movie by its affectionate shorthand "Kedehun", a combination of the title's first three syllables.
From Barron's • Mar. 16, 2026
In the end they concluded their governess had given a long and heartfelt speech about the Imperial Russian Ballet, and that was close enough.
From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood
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.
