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.
Some of the best support, Ghazalian said, has come from lighthearted comments, which have helped buoy their spirits.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 18, 2026
Some attendees even paid tribute to one of the most famous footnotes of Obama’s presidency by wearing tan suits, a lighthearted nod to the outfit that once sparked outsized political controversy.
From Salon ● Jun. 21, 2026
This is a lighthearted comic dance about sailors on shore leave in World War II.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 18, 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
Moniek could actually make him feel lighthearted, and it was helping him.
From "Surviving Hitler: A Boy in the Nazi Death Camps" by Andrea Warren
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.
