Meaning & use
open-hearted
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Meaning
adjectivecomparableapproving
Kind, generous and honest about feelings, and welcoming to other people.
Grammar: Used before a noun or after be: an open-hearted host; she is open-hearted.
Patterns
- open-hearted towards someone
- an open-hearted person
Our open-hearted neighbor invites everyone to dinner.
She gave an open-hearted welcome to the new students.
He was open-hearted about his struggles and helped others feel less alone.
Word forms
| comparative | more open-hearted |
|---|---|
| superlative | most open-hearted |
Common combinations
- open-hearted welcome
- The villagers gave us an open-hearted welcome.
- open-hearted generosity
- Her open-hearted generosity saved the family.
- open-hearted person
- He's an open-hearted person who is easy to talk to.
- open-hearted approach
- The teacher takes an open-hearted approach to mistakes.
- open-hearted friend
- An open-hearted friend listens without judging.
Synonyms and how they differ
- warm-hearted
- Warm-hearted stresses kindness and affection, while open-hearted also suggests honesty and willingness to share feelings.
- generous
- Generous focuses on giving, while open-hearted covers emotions and welcoming attitude as well.
- candid
- Candid stresses frank speech, while open-hearted adds warmth and kindness.
- big-hearted
- Big-hearted stresses generosity and sympathy, and is slightly more informal than open-hearted.
Opposites
Word family
- open adjective
- not closed or hidden
- heart noun
- the center of feeling
- open-heartedly adverb
- in a warm and honest way
- open-heartedness noun
- the quality of being open-hearted
Commonly confused: open-hearted or open-minded?
open-hearted vs open-minded
Open-minded means willing to consider new ideas, while open-hearted means warm, generous and emotionally honest.
Practice
A woman who welcomes strangers warmly, shares what she has and talks freely about her feelings could be described as ___.
Choose one answer.
Open-hearted describes warmth and generosity of feeling. Open-minded is tempting but describes openness to ideas, not affection or generosity.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “open-hearted”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.