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lonely-hearts

American  
[lohn-lee-hahrts] / ˈloʊn liˌhɑrts /

adjective

  1. of or for people seeking counseling or companionship to bring love or romance into their lives.

    a lonely-hearts column in the newspaper.
lonely hearts British  

adjective

  1. (often capitals) of or for people who wish to meet a congenial companion or marriage partner

    a lonely hearts advertisement
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of lonely-hearts

First recorded in 1930–35; probably most closely associated with the novel Miss Lonelyhearts by Nathanael West (1902?-40)

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.