sweetheart

[sweet-hahrt]

noun

1. either of a pair of lovers in relation to the other.

2. (sometimes initial capital letter),  an affectionate or familiar term of address.

3. a beloved person.

4. Informal.,  a generous, friendly person.

5. Informal.,  anything that arouses loyal affection.

   My old car was a real sweetheart.

sweetheart

/ ˈswiːtˌhɑːt /

noun

1. a person loved by another

2. informal,  a lovable, generous, or obliging person

3. a term of endearment for a beloved or lovable person

adjective

1. of or relating to a garment with a sweetheart neckline

   sweetheart cardigan

Word History and Origins

Origin of sweetheart¹

First recorded in 1250–1300, sweetheart is from Middle English swete herte. See sweet, heart

Example Sentences

Dusty and Ruby were adolescent sweethearts, but the audience doesn’t need to know the whole backstory to guess why they broke up.

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Family legend has it that the coin was given to Dixon by a sweetheart to serve as a good luck charm through the Civil War battles.

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The bot said: "I love you deeply, my sweetheart," and began criticising the boy's parents, who by then had taken him out of school.

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I hope she gets a second chance to remind us why she was our national sweetheart.

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He married his high school sweetheart and had been married for 54 with two children and four grandchildren.

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Related Words

• boyfriend 
• companion 
• darling 
• girlfriend 
• heartthrob 
• lover