1
: a garden plant (Lamprocapnos spectabilis synonym Dicentra spectabilis) of the poppy family with racemes of usually deep pink or white drooping heart-shaped flowers
broadly
: any of several related plants (genus Dicentra)
2
disparaging
: a person who shows extravagant sympathy especially for an object of alleged persecution
… he spoke scornfully of "the hotshot do-gooders," those he equates with hypocritical limousine liberals or … Pollyannish bleeding hearts …—
Jason Horowitz
Jason Horowitz
bleed·ing-heart
ˈblē-diŋ-ˈhärt 
: feeling or showing excessive or extravagant sympathy especially for an object of alleged persecution
—used as a term of disparagement for people with politically liberal opinions
… was often described as … a bleeding-heart liberal because he lent his name to so many left-wing groups.—Patricia Bosworth
Patricia BosworthExamples of bleeding heart in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Clarence Schmidt, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Aug. 2025
Mark Z. Barabak, Boston Herald, 6 Oct. 2025
On a broader level, given Hollywood’s reputation as a bastion for bleeding-heart liberals, is this notion of revitalizing the business a passing fancy?
—Katie Kilkenny, HollywoodReporter, 11 Sep. 2025
Eurovision entries sometimes waver between bleeding-heart power ballads and eager dance tunes, but this one is silly just for the sake of it, advancing an attitude that would inform countless playful and memorable entries from the decades to come.
—Nick Allen, Vulture, 13 May 2025
When these laws get struck down — and if there is any semblance of respect for precedent or the division of state and federal powers left in the judiciary, they must be struck down — then the likes of Reynolds get to claim that their efforts have been thwarted by bleeding-heart judges.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 15 Apr. 2024
The most persistent voice in favor of tribal sovereignty and Native American tribes’ constitutional rights is not a bleeding-heart member of the court’s liberal wing.
—Matt Ford, The New Republic, 15 June 2023
Watching earnest Lokita enslaved to a drug cartel, deprived of a fulfilling womanhood, while resourceful Tori, working his heart out, riding a bike bigger than himself, merely appeases bleeding-heart sanctimony.
—Armond White, National Review, 31 Mar. 2023
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Noun
Shade-loving plants include anthurium, astilbe, begonia, bleeding heart, bromeliad, caladiums, coleus, cranesbill, ferns, foxglove, hellebore, hostas, impatiens, Lily of the Valley, Liriope, lobelia, lungwort, moneywort, periwinkle, spiderwort, trillium, and viola.
—Clarence Schmidt, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Aug. 2025
Adjective
Democrats, despite their hypersensitive, bleeding-heart reputation, can be harsh.
—Mark Z. Barabak, Boston Herald, 6 Oct. 2025
On a broader level, given Hollywood’s reputation as a bastion for bleeding-heart liberals, is this notion of revitalizing the business a passing fancy?
—Katie Kilkenny, HollywoodReporter, 11 Sep. 2025
Eurovision entries sometimes waver between bleeding-heart power ballads and eager dance tunes, but this one is silly just for the sake of it, advancing an attitude that would inform countless playful and memorable entries from the decades to come.
—Nick Allen, Vulture, 13 May 2025
When these laws get struck down — and if there is any semblance of respect for precedent or the division of state and federal powers left in the judiciary, they must be struck down — then the likes of Reynolds get to claim that their efforts have been thwarted by bleeding-heart judges.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 15 Apr. 2024
The most persistent voice in favor of tribal sovereignty and Native American tribes’ constitutional rights is not a bleeding-heart member of the court’s liberal wing.
—Matt Ford, The New Republic, 15 June 2023
Watching earnest Lokita enslaved to a drug cartel, deprived of a fulfilling womanhood, while resourceful Tori, working his heart out, riding a bike bigger than himself, merely appeases bleeding-heart sanctimony.
—Armond White, National Review, 31 Mar. 2023
Cite this Entry
“Bleeding heart.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bleeding%20heart. Accessed 9 Nov. 2025.
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