Phrase guide

heart of glass

noun · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˌhɑːt ə ˈɡlɑːs/
  • General-American: /ˌhɑɹt ə ˈɡlæs/
  • Australia: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A heart (or by extension, person) in a very fragile romantic state: one that is easily made broken-hearted.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: figuratively, idiomatic

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

By metaphor, from the notion that glass is fragile (easily broken).

Across languages

Translations

3 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Finnish: haavoittuva mielentila — heart in a very fragile state
  • Polish: szklane serce — heart in a very fragile state
  • Portuguese: coração de vidro — heart in a very fragile state