Words / B2

HAHTF-elt/ˈhɑːtfelt/

Heartfelt means sincere and strongly felt: a heartfelt apology; heartfelt thanks. Sincere and earnest are close twins; hearty is warmer and more cheerful, not the same. A heartfelt apology still needs the named error in the letter. Mix-up: hearty / heartless. Do not call a copied template letter heartfelt without evidence in the source.

Meaning

Sincere and strongly felt.

Examples

• “A heartfelt apology still needs the named error in the letter.”
• “Heartfelt thanks featured in the dedication, which is the sincere-thanks sense.”

Good to know

a heartfelt apology / thanks / tribute. Close: sincere / earnest. Trap: hearty / heartless. Letters, news, and literature. Sincere and strongly felt, not a slogan.

Near in meaning

sincere, earnest, genuine

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