after one's own heart
/ˈæftɚ wʌnz oʊn ˈhɑɹt/
Word Rarity
Uncommon
Frequency: 4.32 in modern English
26
Scrabble Score
17
Letters
2
Syllables
10
Unique Chars
Meaning
Example Sentences
- "[H]e [God] ſet vppe David to be their kynge⸝ to whome he gave witnes⸝ ſaynge: I have founde David the ſonne of Jeſſe⸝ a man after myne awne hert⸝ he ſhall fullfyll all my will."
- "But now thy [Saul's] kingdome ſhall not continue: the Lord hath ſought him a man after his owne heart, and the Lord hath commanded him to bee captaine ouer his people, becauſe thou haſt not kept that which the Lord hath commanded thee."
- "[…] I turn with great complacency to the fourth class of my readers, who are men, or, if possible, women, after my own heart; grave, philosophical and investigating; fond of analyzing characters, of taking a start from first causes, and so hunting a nation down, through all the mazes of innovation and improvement."
- "Look, Pisistratus, man after my own heart, see the gleam of bronze and gold—of amber, ivory, and silver. Everything is so splendid that it is like seeing the palace of Olympian Jove. I am lost in admiration."
- "Professor Cusins: you are a young man after my own heart."
- "I found the father of Thuvia a man after my own heart, and that night saw the beginning of a friendship which has grown until it is second only to that which obtains between Tars Tarkas, the green Jeddak of Thark, and myself."
Etymology
From after (“in imitation of; following”) + one’s + own + heart (“disposition; personality”), a reference to 1 Samuel 13:14 and Acts 13:22 in the Bible: see the 1526 and 1611 quotations.
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈæftɚ wʌnz oʊn ˈhɑɹt/
- British English: /ˈæftə wʌnz əʊn ˈhɑːt/
Phrases
Frequently Paired Words
Synonyms
after one's heart
after one's own soul