to wear one's heart on one's sleeve
1
7.0
- idiom
- Informal
:
mostrar los sentimientos abiertamente
- Maria tends to wear her heart on her sleeve, expressing her emotions freely without holding back.
Examples
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John is very open about his feelings; he always wears his heart on his sleeve during conversations.
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And you wear your heart on your sleeve, which can be terribly intimidating.
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Before that... You always wore your heart on your sleeve, son, and now it's on your sword.
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You can find her wearing her heart on her sleeve at her personal blog.
Blog text (4) -
You really shouldn't wear your heart on your sleeve.
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Prince Harry may well never be King, but he is more Spencer than Windsor, more likely to wear his heart on his sleeve, and more likely to be taken to other people's hearts.
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In an emotional appeal for witnesses, Ricardds father described his son as being a friendly, loving man who wore his heart on his sleeve and always saw the best in people.
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It's clear that he wears his heart on his sleeve, as he easily shows joy and sadness to those around him.
Synonyms
38
3.4
Show or say your emotions to other people
9
3.7
Say something honestly and with strong feeling
8
6.4
Talk openly about your deepest feelings when you feel upset
7
3.4
Talk honestly without hiding facts or feelings
5
8.1
To tell someone your private feelings or secrets openly
2
3.4
Show your feelings with words, actions, or your face
To show strong feelings openly without holding them back
Antonyms
How Open
- Informal
5
8.1
- Informal
8
6.4
- Informal
1
7.0
- Informal
149
2.9
2
3.4
Surface Forms
Morphology
wear + one + heart + on + one + sleeve
The parts 'heart' (emotions), 'wear' (display), and 'sleeve' (an outward, visible location) provide a clear metaphorical mapping so a learner who knows the words can plausibly infer this relates to showing feelings. However, the phrase is a conventional idiom with a culturally specific usage and fine-grained meaning ('openly display one’s emotions') that may not be fully predictable without prior exposure.
Etymology
Wear one's heart on one's sleeve may come from knights who tied a lady's token to their sleeve so everyone could see their heart belonged to her. That's why the phrase means 'to openly show your feelings'.