half-hearted
11
4.8
- adjective
- /ˌhæfˈhɑːrtɪd/
- First, as supporters of liberalization have complained, liberalization in the 1980s was half-hearted and slow.
- a half-hearted attempt
- half-hearted efforts
- make a half-hearted
Loading YouTube…
Watch on YouTubeThat seemed very half hearted, too.
- That seemed very half hearted, too.
- The universe also knows when you are faking it, when you're making a half hearted attempt and it will deliver despair.
- Now Trump says he agrees wholeheartedly, but everyone knows that retweets by definition are half hearted at best.
- Thank you, thank you half hearted.
Examples
-
Betsy liked to talk, and even a half-hearted, transparent invitation like this was irresistible.
Fiction book (2001) -
Camille made a half-hearted effort to clean her room before guests arrived.
-
The doctor says that it was half-hearted.
-
Yet, the Confederate government made only a half-hearted attempt to provide chaplains for the soldiers.
Academic text (1991) -
After ten minutes of half-hearted listening, I suspected I was in a den of hustlers.
Fiction book (1999) -
President Clinton offered only half-hearted attempts to build support for the Kyoto Protocol five years later.
Academic text (2005) -
There was a pattern of half-hearted responses to terrorist attacks, pinpricks that fooled no one.
Academic text (2001) -
Because their questions tended to be cursory, on-the-spot constructions, teachers often received flat, one-word, half-hearted responses from students.
Academic text (2013) -
The team's half-hearted attempt to win the game resulted in a disappointing loss.
-
He gave a half-hearted response when asked if he liked the movie.
Synonyms
24
6.8
Not showing much interest or energy
17
4.4
Not showing much interest or excitement
15
6.2
Showing little interest or enthusiasm
8
4.4
Not feeling interest or energy to do something
5
8.6
Showing little energy or interest and doing things slowly and carelessly
4
4.3
Showing little interest or energy
4
3.9
Not showing much interest or excitement
1
5.3
Not showing excitement or interest
1
6.0
Showing little energy and no enthusiasm
Antonyms
How Enthusiastic
Surface Forms
Morphology
half-hearted = hearted (transparent) = half + heart + ed
The structure 'half' + 'hearted' = partially having heart (i.e., lacking full enthusiasm) is a direct and predictable composition for learners.
Etymology
The word half-hearted comes from half meaning 'part' and heart meaning 'feelings' or 'courage', and it paints the picture of someone who puts only 'half' their heart into something. That's why half-hearted means showing little interest, energy, or commitment.