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

1. someone who is excessively sympathetic toward those who claim to be exploited or underprivileged
2. garden plant having deep-pink drooping heart-shaped flowers