Skip to main content

young at heart

5 4.2
To feel and act lively and playful even though you are older
  • idiom
  • Informal
translation icon : joven de corazón
  • He's gotten sourer as he's gotten older and I've tried to stay young... at heart.
  • stay young at heart
  • very young at heart

Your whole book is just a bunch of advice for young people, but let me ask and older people and old, well, everyone is young at heart and if you're not, you should be.

Examples

  • My call is to the young at heart, regardless of age.

  • The Rebelution isn't just for the young... it's for the young at heart!

    Blog text (34)
  • What is your secret to staying young at heart and young in your mind?

  • Everyone enjoyed themselves, especially the young and the young at heart.

  • I find it is best to remain young at heart, especially when one's heart is no longer young.

    Fiction book (1996)
  • I have to deliberately open my heart back up to love, to stay young at heart despite what comes our way.

    Blog text (20)
  • No matter your age, feel young at heart in our VIP gondola.

    Blog text (16)
  • We go to the gym, we eat right, and to be honest, we still feel young at heart, even though that occasional glimpse in the mirror may tell us otherwise.

    Blog text (11)
  • Libraries also provide internet access to patrons; they provide large collections of music CDs and DVD movie-type media, and they even have games in their collections for young people or those young at heart.

    Blog text (9)
  • Edwin reminds us that age is just a number when you are young at heart.

Synonyms

youthful
vsyoung at heart
85 3.1

Having the energy and fresh look of a young person

keeps a spirited, optimistic outlook regardless of actual age

How Youthful

childlike
36 3.7
young at heart
  • Informal
5 4.2
playful
79 1.6

Surface Forms

young at heart positive

Morphology

young + at + heart

The meaning 'having a youthful spirit' is directly derivable from the constituents: 'young' (youthful) combined with 'heart' (the emotional core) plus the locative sense carried by 'at' (in one's heart). The construction 'X at heart' is a common, cross-linguistic way to express an internal quality, so a B1 learner who knows the words would very likely understand this expression.

Etymology

Young at heart comes from the idea of being young in your heart, that is, 'inside' rather than in your years. That's why it means being full of life and energy even when you are older.