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halfhearted

[ haf-hahr-tid, hahf- ]

/ ˈhæfˈhɑr tɪd, ˈhɑf- /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR halfhearted ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

having or showing little enthusiasm: a halfhearted attempt to work.

Origin of halfhearted

First recorded in 1605–15; half + heart + -ed³

SYNONYMS FOR halfhearted

indifferent, uninterested, cold, cool, perfunctory.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR halfhearted ON THESAURUS.COM

ANTONYMS FOR halfhearted

enthusiastic.

SEE ANTONYMS FOR halfhearted ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM halfhearted

half·heart·ed·ly, adverb half·heart·ed·ness, noun

Words nearby halfhearted

half-wit, half-witted, half-year, halfback, halfbeak, halfhearted, halfhourly, halfies, halfmoon, halfpenny, halfpennyworth

Example sentences from the Web for halfhearted

Obama, the halfhearted visitor, had his face clinched in a frozen smile.

Nina Khrushcheva on the Importance of the G20 in St. Petersburg |Nina Khrushcheva |September 6, 2013 |DAILY BEAST
The result is a series of halfhearted reforms by old men in camouflage.

Cuba’s Leaders Talk of Reform, but It Doesn’t Add Up to Much |Mac Margolis |October 27, 2012 |DAILY BEAST
He gave a halfhearted, widely panned speech on the night he finished a distant third in New Hampshire.

Plight of the Republican Presidential Race’s Zombie Candidates |Matt Bennett |January 19, 2012 |DAILY BEAST
The United States will issue a halfhearted rebuke and some useless words about “deploring the deaths” that occurred on the ships.

A Blunder No PR Can Fix |Reza Aslan |June 1, 2010 |DAILY BEAST

She spelled “recalcitrance,” then “pernicious,” and after a halfhearted debate it was obvious that none of the three had a clue.

John Grisham's Debut Short Story |John Grisham |October 26, 2009 |DAILY BEAST
We stood against them; were halfhearted, and were beaten; and then we petted them, and bit by bit our privileges were torn away.

Beauchamp's Career, Complete |George Meredith
The voice of the people is duly represented, but it is a very weak and halfhearted voice.

The Boer in Peace and War |Arthur M. Mann
The cow, shaking her head in a halfhearted defiance, followed.

Lonesome Land |B. M. Bower
Two or three women, far back in the hall, start a halfhearted handclapping.

A Book of Burlesques |H. L. Mencken
The guards were, as Erculio must have known they would be, halfhearted about carrying out their mandate.

The Saracen: The Holy War |Robert Shea