at heart

phrase

: in essence : basically, essentially

a romantic at heart

Examples of at heart in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Experts urge parents to listen to pediatricians, who have the best interests of their kids at heart. — Brenda Goodman, CNN Money, 11 Aug. 2026

This idea is, of course, very simple at heart, but the beauty lies in the execution. — Kevin Kruse, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2026

However, the new chair repeatedly stressed his commitment to meeting the Fed’s inflation target, and many Wall Street observers took him to be an inflation hawk at heart. — John Cassidy, New Yorker, 3 Aug. 2026

Best Things to Do Die-hard water-park fans—and kids at heart—will naturally want to check out what’s new in the Water Park Capital of the World. — Kristine Hansen, Travel + Leisure, 23 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1735, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for at heart

• apart
• depart
• flowchart
• forepart
• impart
• pushcart
• rampart
• redstart
• restart
• subpart
• sweetheart
• upstart