With much sadness; in a state of grief. It is with a heavy heart that we announce the passing of our beloved father. After these tragedies, our nation will forge on, but with a heavy heart.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.Cliché sadly. With a heavy heart, she said good-bye. We left our summer cottage on the last day with a heavy heart.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
In a sad or miserable state, unhappily, as in He left her with a heavy heart, wondering if she would ever recover. The adjective heavy has been used in the sense of "weighed down wit grief or sadness" since about 1300. Its antonym light dates from the same period. The latter use survives only in light heart, meaning "freedom from the weight of sorrow"-that is, "a happy feeling." For example, She left for Europe with a light heart, knowing that the kids would be fine.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
with a feeling of sadness or fear: It was with a heavy heart that he left the school for the last time. OPPOSITE: with a light heart
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