heartwarming
Heartwarming (adjective) means causing a feeling of quiet happiness and affection, usually by showing kindness, generosity or love between people. Example: “It was heartwarming to see the whole street turn out for her ninetieth birthday.”
How to use heartwarming
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishSomething that makes you feel happy and touched inside.
Neutral and slightly warm in tone; a staple of reviews, news features and social media captions.
Heartwarming describes the thing you see; heartfelt describes the sincerity of the person expressing something.
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Can you complete this real example?
It was _____ to see the whole street turn out for her ninetieth birthday.
Synonyms
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Rhymes for heartwarming
See all rhymes for heartwarming →Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between heartwarming and heartbreaking?
Heartwarming describes something that makes you feel warm, glad and reassured about people. Heartbreaking describes something that causes deep sadness or grief. They are direct opposites and are often used as a pair in reviews and headlines.
Is heartwarming one word or two?
One word in modern usage: heartwarming. The hyphenated heart-warming is still standard in British publishing and is not wrong, but the closed form is now more common everywhere.
Can heartwarming be used negatively?
Only ironically. Critics sometimes use it to imply a story is manipulative or saccharine, as in a relentlessly heartwarming crowd-pleaser. On its own the word is positive.
What is the meaning of heartwarming?
"heartwarming" (adjective) means causing a feeling of quiet happiness and affection, usually by showing kindness, generosity or love between people.