single-hearted
Americanadjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of single-hearted
First recorded in 1570–80
Explanation
If your friend is single-hearted, she's the same person to everyone; she knows what she thinks, means what she says, and puts her whole self into whatever she does. And you are lucky to know her! Single-hearted is similar in meaning to wholehearted: The image it brings to mind is of the person's heart, or center, not being divided into parts. It's not split between conflicting loyalties or motives, not divided between thought and action, or between a secret inner self and the self shown to the world. Single-hearted people are not always second-guessing their ideas and plans — they make a decision and stick to it, set a goal and then go for it with all they've got.
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.
"Through this election we will fully display the might of the single-hearted unity of our army and people," said Hyon Byong-chol, chairman of a preparatory committee for one of the sub-districts in the election.
From BBC ● Mar. 9, 2014
It was simple, and single-hearted, and a follower of the truth.
From Olive Leaves Or, Sketches of Character by L. H. (Lydia Howard) Sigourney
And here, where the story of this pure, single-hearted, self-sacrificing life began, it shall be ended.
From The Life and Work of Susan B. Anthony (Volume 2 of 2) Including Public Addresses, Her Own Letters and Many From Her Contemporaries During Fifty Years by Ida Husted Harper
For bad by Florentine Academy, for good, far beyond all others, by Steinle, a noble-minded, single-hearted artist, s'il en fut.
From The Life, Letters and Work of Frederic Leighton Volume I by Mrs. Russell Barrington
Fate had been only too good to her in bringing her the devotion of so honest and single-hearted a man as Hugo von Wangen.
From Quicksands by Adolph Streckfuss
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.
