Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

halfhearted

/hˈæfhˌɑɹtɪd/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.94 in modern English

Syllables: half-heart-ed
IPA: /hˈæfhˌɑɹtɪd/

21

Scrabble Score

11

Letters

3

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Lacking full energy, effort, commitment, or resolve.

adj

Lacking in heart or beneficence; ungenerous; unkind.

Obsolete

Example Sentences

"Near-synonym: half-assed"
"He made a halfhearted attempt to read the chapter before giving up and dozing off."
"There were chants against the domestic league's president Dumitru Dragomir and also a half-hearted two-man pitch invasion by Universitatea Craiova fans protesting at the expulsion of their club from the league."
"such animals, Half-hearted creatures, as these are, your fox there"

Etymology

From half + hearted.

Usage

Obsolete

Inflected Forms

more halfhearted (comparative) most halfhearted (superlative) half-hearted (alternative)

Derived Forms

halfheartedly halfheartedness

Frequently Paired Words

insincere wholehearted fullhearted hearty heartful unhearty heartless

Synonyms

lukewarm tepid adiaphroistic apathetic apathistical blasé blithe deaf cool shiftless dispassionate dull

Homonyms

half-hearted

Rhymes With

half-hearted

Questions

How do you pronounce halfhearted?: The recorded pronunciation is /hˈæfhˌɑɹtɪd/.
What does halfhearted mean?: Lacking full energy, effort, commitment, or resolve.
Where does halfhearted come from?: From half + hearted.

How to pronounce halfhearted

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “halfhearted”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/hˈæfhˌɑɹtɪd/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “halfhearted”.
Repeat and practice — Say “halfhearted” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.