bleeding heart
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Noun: 1. A person who is excessively or sentimentally sympathetic, especially toward those perceived as victims or underprivileged: Often used critically to suggest that someone's compassion is naive, impractical, or not grounded in reality. 2. A type of garden plant (genus Dicentra) with distinctive deep-pink or white drooping, heart-shaped flowers.
Usage and Examples
Noun (Person):
- The critic dismissed the activists as bleeding hearts who didn't understand economic realities.
- He was often called a bleeding heart for his campaigns to help the homeless.
Noun (Plant):
- She planted bleeding hearts in the shady corner of her garden.
- The delicate flowers of the bleeding heart bloom in the spring.
Advanced Usage and Nuance
- The term "bleeding heart" is primarily used as a pejorative (insulting or critical term). It implies that the person's sympathy is more about displaying emotion than effecting practical, sensible solutions.
- It can be used in political or social debates to criticize policies or sentiments deemed overly charitable or soft.
Variants and Related Words
- Bleeding-heart (adjective): Used to describe a person or attitude characterized by such excessive sympathy.
- He rejected the bleeding-heart approach to criminal justice.
Synonyms and Antonyms
- Synonyms (for the person): do-gooder (often pejorative), sentimentalist, idealist, softie (informal).
- Antonyms (for the person): hardliner, realist (in this context), pragmatist, unsympathetic person.
Idioms and Fixed Phrases
- "Bleeding-heart liberal": A common, strongly pejorative phrase in political discourse used to criticize left-leaning individuals for their social welfare views.
- The talk show host frequently attacked bleeding-heart liberals on his program.
Noun
- someone who is excessively sympathetic toward those who claim to be exploited or underprivileged
- garden plant having deep-pink drooping heart-shaped flowers