heart of stone
5
6.4
- idiom
- Informal
- Some people believe that he has a heart of stone because he never shows any emotion.
Loading YouTube…
Watch on YouTubeI will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.
- I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.
- DA scientific man ought to have no wishes, no affections, and mere heart of stone.
Examples
-
They say you have a heart of stone.
Fiction book (1993) -
What's it take to melt that heart of stone of yours?
-
* I got a heart of stone
-
No, with a heart of stone.
-
I thank you for showing me that I do not have a heart of stone.
Blog text (5) -
Some people have hearts of stone
-
Their prayers for his health were apparently being answered despite his heart of stone.
Fiction book (1993) -
Without words, and with a heart of stone, Damon carries on.
Blog text (9) -
Your pleas have not fallen upon a heart of stone, but traitors to the crown must die!
-
And now you must pray God to take away your heart of stone... and make you meek and humble and penitent.
Synonyms
1
6.8
A lack of care for other people that makes people act unkindly
1
8.3
A lack of pity or mercy for other people
1
8.6
To not care about other people's feelings or needs
1
9.0
Not feeling pity or regret for other people's suffering
1
9.9
A calm lack of interest or strong feeling in everyday life
A lack of care or sympathy
Antonyms
How Compassionate
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'emotionally unfeeling' is directly derivable from combining 'heart' (seat of emotions) with 'stone' (hardness, lack of feeling) in a straightforward metaphorical construction. This 'heart of X' pattern and the metaphor of stone-as-hardness are common across languages, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents would likely infer the intended meaning.
Etymology
The idiom heart of stone gives a clear picture: someone's heart is like stone, hard and cold and unable to feel. That's why it means 'unfeeling' or 'without pity'.