half-hearted
adjective
half-heart·ed
ˈhaf-ˈhär-təd 
ˈhäf-
variants
or halfhearted
: lacking heart, spirit, or interest
a half-hearted effort
halfhearted applause
half-heartedly
adverb
or halfheartedly
half-heartedness
noun
or halfheartedness
Examples of half-hearted in a Sentence
a halfhearted attempt to clean the house before the arrival of the in-laws
Recent Examples on the Web
Sony’s support for the first PSVR was pretty half-hearted, after all.
—
Jay Peters, The Verge, 23 June 2024
His recent half-hearted statement of support for Hogan in his Senate race doesn’t change any of this.
—Frank Donatelli, Chicago Tribune, 20 June 2024
Marcello is drawn to Aimée’s Maddalena, who is beautiful and exceptionally rich but also bored and apathetic, and his wooing of her is half-hearted.
—Carmel Dagan, Variety, 18 June 2024
Their half-hearted attempt to sign him to a long-term deal resulted in them losing him to the upstart Rangers three winters ago, however.
—Dylan Hernández, Los Angeles Times, 12 June 2024
The comedic elements, even when featuring seasoned comedians like Chris Parnell (who appears as one-eyed vault dweller), often feel more like half-hearted ideas than actual bits.
—Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 10 Apr. 2024
Facing a torrent of controversy over his flippant flub, Sliwa gave a half-hearted apology over calling the man a migrant.
—Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 9 Feb. 2024
The United States and its Arab and European counterparts that have rushed to save their nationals have made only half-hearted and belated efforts to stop the fighting and help the Sudanese.
—Alex De Waal, Foreign Affairs, 27 Apr. 2023
There are some clumsy, half-hearted escape attempts.
—Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 6 May 2024
Jay Peters, The Verge, 23 June 2024
His recent half-hearted statement of support for Hogan in his Senate race doesn’t change any of this.
—Frank Donatelli, Chicago Tribune, 20 June 2024
Marcello is drawn to Aimée’s Maddalena, who is beautiful and exceptionally rich but also bored and apathetic, and his wooing of her is half-hearted.
—Carmel Dagan, Variety, 18 June 2024
Their half-hearted attempt to sign him to a long-term deal resulted in them losing him to the upstart Rangers three winters ago, however.
—Dylan Hernández, Los Angeles Times, 12 June 2024
The comedic elements, even when featuring seasoned comedians like Chris Parnell (who appears as one-eyed vault dweller), often feel more like half-hearted ideas than actual bits.
—Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 10 Apr. 2024
Facing a torrent of controversy over his flippant flub, Sliwa gave a half-hearted apology over calling the man a migrant.
—Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 9 Feb. 2024
The United States and its Arab and European counterparts that have rushed to save their nationals have made only half-hearted and belated efforts to stop the fighting and help the Sudanese.
—Alex De Waal, Foreign Affairs, 27 Apr. 2023
There are some clumsy, half-hearted escape attempts.
—Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 6 May 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'half-hearted.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near half-hearted
Cite this Entry
“Half-hearted.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/half-hearted. Accessed 2 Jul. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
halfhearted
adjective
half·heart·ed
-ˈhärt-əd
: lacking spirit or interest
halfhearted applause from the audience
halfheartedly
adverb
halfheartedness
noun
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