Meaning & use
heart full of gold
Last updated
Meaning
phrasefixed phrase
A kind and generous nature that shows care for other people.
Grammar: Used after 'have' or 'with' to describe someone's character: 'He has a heart full of gold.'
Patterns
- have a heart full of gold
- someone with a heart full of gold
- a heart full of gold
My grandmother has a heart full of gold; she would give her last penny to help a neighbor.
He may seem rough, but he has a heart full of gold and always volunteers at the shelter.
Everyone says that teacher has a heart full of gold because she stays late to tutor students for free.
Common combinations
- have a heart full of gold
- You can trust her completely—she has a heart full of gold.
- someone with a heart full of gold
- He is someone with a heart full of gold who never turns away a friend in need.
- a heart full of gold
- Her kindness to strangers shows a heart full of gold.
Synonyms and how they differ
- kind-hearted
- Describes a person directly as kind; 'heart full of gold' is a more poetic, noun phrase used after 'have' or 'with'.
- generous
- Focuses on giving money or time freely; 'heart full of gold' emphasizes inner goodness and warmth, not just giving.
- compassionate
- More formal and suggests feeling sympathy for others' suffering; 'heart full of gold' is warmer and more everyday.
Opposites
Commonly confused: heart full of gold or heart of gold?
heart full of gold vs heart of gold
This is the standard idiom meaning a kind nature. 'Heart full of gold' is a longer, less common variant with the same meaning. Use 'heart of gold' in most situations.
Practice
Which sentence uses the phrase correctly?
Choose one answer.
The phrase is used with 'have' and the article 'a': 'has a heart full of gold.' Option B is wrong because 'is' cannot be followed by this noun phrase. Option C misses the article 'a'. Option D wrongly pluralizes 'gold'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “heart full of gold”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.