lighthearted
Americanadjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of lighthearted
1375–1425; late Middle English ligt-herted; see light 2, heart, -ed 3
Explanation
Someone who tends to be happy and upbeat is lighthearted. When you are shopping for greeting cards, the lighthearted ones are the ones with the corny jokes, not the ones with pictures of dramatic sunsets. Words like joyful, blithe, and happy-go-lucky capture the sense of lighthearted. People can be lighthearted, and so can entertaining things, like lighthearted movies, your uncle's lighthearted teasing, or a lighthearted family sing-along. The "full of cheer" meaning of lighthearted dates from about 1400, from both senses of light: "bright" and "not heavy."
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.
This perspective views patriotism more as shallow performance than anything else—a lighthearted distraction from more serious issues.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 3, 2026
Snapchat was popular among her peers and friends so J.F. downloaded the app, which was presented as lighthearted and entertaining platform, without her parents’ knowledge or consent.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 25, 2026
The lighthearted interaction spread widely online, turning this moment into part of the city’s growing Knicks mythology.
From Salon • Jun. 7, 2026
This is something both of us do with multiple generations of our families, helping us engage with language learning in a lighthearted way.
From Science Daily • May 22, 2026
The next day when my mother and Mrs. Hull came home from shopping, my mother seemed more lighthearted than she’d been for ages.
From "Homesick" by Jean Fritz
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.
