Meaning & use
kind-hearted
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Meaning
adjectivecomparable
Having a naturally kind, gentle, and sympathetic character.
Grammar: Used to describe a person or their actions. Can be graded: very kind-hearted, more kind-hearted.
Patterns
- a kind-hearted person
- be kind-hearted
She is a kind-hearted woman who always helps her neighbors.
The kind-hearted teacher stayed after class to help the struggling student.
He gave up his seat to an elderly passenger—a kind-hearted gesture.
Word forms
| comparative | more kind-hearted |
|---|---|
| superlative | most kind-hearted |
Common combinations
- a kind-hearted person
- Everyone in the village knew him as a kind-hearted person.
- kind-hearted soul
- The kind-hearted soul volunteered at the shelter every weekend.
- kind-hearted gesture
- Bringing her soup was a kind-hearted gesture.
Synonyms and how they differ
- compassionate
- More formal and often suggests feeling sympathy for people who are suffering; 'kind-hearted' is more general and about a natural gentle nature.
- benevolent
- Very formal; it often suggests doing good works or having a desire to help others, while 'kind-hearted' focuses on a warm, gentle personality.
- warm-hearted
- Very similar, but 'warm-hearted' emphasizes showing affection and friendliness, while 'kind-hearted' emphasizes being kind and sympathetic.
Opposites
Word family
- kindheartedly adverb
- In a kind-hearted manner.
- kind-heartedness noun
- The quality of being kind-hearted.
Commonly confused: kind-hearted or kindly?
kind-hearted vs kindly
As an adjective, 'kindly' means kind and caring, but it is more formal and often used in fixed phrases like 'a kindly old man'. 'Kind-hearted' is more common in everyday speech and emphasizes the heart or character.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'kind-hearted' correctly?
Choose one answer.
The adjective 'kind-hearted' needs a noun or pronoun after 'a' when used before a noun: 'a kind-hearted person'. Option 0 is missing 'a' before 'person', option 1 is missing 'a' before 'kind-hearted', and option 3 has incorrect word order.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “kind-hearted”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.