hearty
Americanadjective
-
heartier,
comparative
-
heartiest
superlative
-
warm-hearted; affectionate; cordial; jovial.
a hearty welcome.
-
genuine; sincere; heartfelt.
hearty approval; hearty dislike.
-
completely devoted; wholehearted.
hearty support.
-
exuberant; unrestrained.
hearty laughter.
-
violent; forceful.
a hearty push; a hearty kick.
-
physically vigorous; strong and well.
hale and hearty.
-
substantial; abundant; nourishing.
a hearty meal.
-
enjoying or requiring abundant food.
a hearty appetite.
-
(of soil) fertile.
noun
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hearties
plural
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a brave or good fellow, especially with reference to a shipmate.
-
a sailor.
adjective
-
warm and unreserved in manner or behaviour
-
vigorous and enthusiastic
a hearty slap on the back
-
sincere and heartfelt
hearty dislike
-
healthy and strong (esp in the phrase hale and hearty )
-
substantial and nourishing
noun
-
a comrade, esp a sailor
-
a vigorous sporting man
a rugby hearty
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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heartinessnoun
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overheartinessnoun
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superheartinessnoun
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overheartyadjective
-
quasi-heartyadjective
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superheartyadjective
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unheartyadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Adjectives
Etymology
Origin of hearty
First recorded in 1350–1400, hearty is from the Middle English word herti. See heart, -y 1
Explanation
Hearty describes abundant, full, and satisfying things, and lively, strong, and enthusiastic people. A bowl of thick chili with cheese and a glass of milk is hearty. A spoon of water with a grape? Not so hearty. You can't miss the "heart" in hearty. Words like "wholehearted" and "half-hearted" also have "heart" and are a help in remembering the adjective hearty. If you put your whole heart into anything from walking a dog to saying good morning to your friends, you're hearty and full of life. Something half-hearted is weak and not hearty. A loud laugh that fills a room is very hearty; you can almost feel its fullness. If it comes from the heart and adds well-being and happiness, it's probably hearty.
Vocabulary lists containing hearty
The SAT: Multiple-Meaning Words, List 5
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The New SAT: Multiple-Meaning Words
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100 Great Words from "Fahrenheit 451" -- Part I Vocabulary
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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.
See Examples For:
For 50 years, diners in Los Feliz knew they could count on a warm welcome and a hearty meal from Tony Fanara.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026
Trump offered his hearty congratulations to De la Espriella on Monday.
From Barron's ● Jun. 24, 2026
His second-in-command, the president of the New York Fed, would follow with a hearty endorsement.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 22, 2026
There was another positive review from Screen International's Tim Grierson, who said it was "another delightful adventure that mines fresh emotional terrain while producing plenty of hearty laughs".
From BBC ● Jun. 17, 2026
The soup is possible to eat if he doesn't stop to smell it, doesn't stop to think about his grandmother's soup, her thick beef-and-barley soup, and the crusty bread to sop up the hearty broth.
From "The Boy Who Dared" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
In the perennial war between the aesthetes and the hearties, the hearties do not always win.
From The Guardian ● Feb. 10, 2012
On the first reading I overdid the "Oooh-arr me hearties" piratical voice, on the grounds that if you can't camp things up reading to your children at bedtime there's no point going on.
From The Guardian ● Aug. 3, 2011
Right then me hearties, we are under way for the second half.
From BBC ● Jan. 24, 2010
This year's Rolleo, attended last week by hearties from 1,200 camps, was distinguished by the joyous rite of selecting "Pauline Bunyan," a suitable mate for skyscraping Paul.
From Time Magazine Archive
When he heard them stir he clapped his hands, and cried: ‘Hey! Come merry dol! derry dol! My hearties!’
From "The Fellowship of the Ring" by J.R.R. Tolkien
Or, include a small side dish, like macaroni and cheese, to make your board heartier.
From Salon ● Jun. 28, 2026
Don’t miss some returning favorites, such as the barbacoa tamal de res, in which the beef is pleasantly tender, or the braised pork belly adobo, one of the heartier dishes at the festival.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 19, 2025
And if players want a heartier meal, there will be a hot food buffet with chicken breasts, green beans, penne pasta with marinara sauce and baby red potatoes.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 6, 2024
After the holidays, top the salad with a runny fried egg for a heartier meal evocative of its bistro roots.
From Washington Times ● Dec. 22, 2023
She sat at the table with us, sticking with her cup of coffee and banana in lieu of our heartier fare.
From "Here to Stay" by Sara Farizan
And thus I offer a heartiest and hopeful welcome to 2026.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 31, 2025
Seven years later to the day, former “Saturday Night Live” star Pete Davidson marked the anniversary of Khashoggi’s killing by slinging some of his heartiest har-hars at the Bakr al-Sheddi Theater.
From Salon ● Oct. 5, 2025
The heartiest proto–quantum computers today boast hundreds of qubits, far short of the millions or billions they will probably need to operate error-free.
From Science Magazine ● Dec. 20, 2023
The heartiest course is a casserole of more than a dozen kinds of mushrooms that a server stirs and passes under the nose of everyone at the table.
From Washington Post ● Sep. 9, 2021
The Championship you have won is a great personal triumph for you and I am pleased to join countless of your fellow-citizens in extending my heartiest congratulations and best wishes.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
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.
