Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. One who is loved.
- n. Used as a familiar term of endearment.
- n. Informal A person regarded as generous or lovable.
- n. Informal Something cherished for its excellent qualities.
- adj. Involving privileged treatment of a favored party; illegally or unethically favorable: "another land grab, another sweetheart deal based on political influence” ( Village Voice).
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. A person beloved; a lover; more commonly, a girl beloved.
- To act the part of a lover to; pay court to; gallant: as, to sweetheart a lady.
- To perform the part of a lover; act the gallant; play the wooer: as, he is going a sweethearting.
Wiktionary
- n. A person who is always very kind.
- n. A person very much liked or loved by someone, especially when both partners are young.
- n. slang, euphemistic A casual sexual partner that is exclusive to the men of one fraternity; a slam piece.
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. A lover of mistress.
WordNet 3.0
- n. a person loved by another person
- n. any well-liked individual
- adj. privileged treatment of a favored person or corporation (sometimes unethically)
- n. a very attractive or seductive looking woman
Etymologies
- From sweet + heart. (Wiktionary)
Examples
“The word sweetheart had given her a sickening feeling.”
“His use of the word sweetheart nearly caused her to slap him again.”
“At the word sweetheart, her red lips had parted on a gasp and tears had misted her hazel eyes.”
“It was much approved, and my brother whispered me that the fair Geraldine, for so my Lord of Surrey calls his sweetheart, is the finest woman of the age.”
“We know for a fact that we've asked for information around the contracts, these special deals, what we call the sweetheart deal, and this has not been forthcoming, both from government and from Eskom itself.”
“Thomas severely curtailed plea bargains and what he called sweetheart deals for crimes after taking office in 2005.”
“Rep. Charles Rangel defiantly defended having four rent-stabilized apartments Friday as Republicans, critics and constituents railed against what they called a sweetheart deal.”
“Every now and then, for instance, Hanna would start up and commence a series of little flirtations with the blackbird, which she called her sweetheart, and again resume her chat and seat as before; or she would attempt to catch a butterfly as it fluttered about her, or sometimes give it pursuit over half the green, whilst Kathleen sat with laughing and delighted eyes, and a smile of unutterable sweetness on her lips, watching the success of this innocent frolic.”
The Emigrants Of Ahadarra The Works of William Carleton, Volume Two
“December 3rd, 2009 4: 53 pm ET mccain sweetheart I know you are old, but do you remember way back on November 2008?”
“But even so, what he has done and what he continues to do by marrying his Midland sweetheart is indefensible.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘sweetheart’.
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Public List: Body Metaphors
Phrases that use body parts metaphorically.
neck of the woods, bone of contention, mouth of a river, teeth of the storm, heart of the matter, foot of the bed, eye of the storm, dogleg hole, finger lakes, headwaters, foothills, knik arm and 212 more...
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Periodic Table of Cake
I should have known better, but once I got started on this, I realized it’s basically the same thing as Ruzuzu’s list “Let them eat cake”, with less cake.
cheese, ague, almond, alum, pan, ash, beef, tea, Baddeley, daikon, yellow, zebra and 44 more...
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MissEasyBreezy's list
enthasy, euphoria, fantasy, spellbind, neurotic, ecstatic, radiance, aura, innocence, glitter, glow, aurora and 26 more...
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Let Me Call You Sweetheart
Or honey, or baby, or ...
(A Valentine's Day list.)amoret, bonnilasse, ladybird, leikin, leman, love-lass, Phyllis, pout, sweetness, munchkin, darling, sayang and 87 more...
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Hearticulating
All sorts of names or terms for romantic partners: vague, clinical, physical, sleazy, cheesy, co-dependent, demeaning, sarcastic, or the dutifully committed. This is to provide a wide-range of le...
couple, partner, lover, sweetheart, significant other, confidant, consort, mate, better half, paramour, accomplice, counterpart and 52 more...
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pet lover's names
Pet names that lovers have for their lover. Comment if you wish, but there is no need to explain! Note: NOT the names of their pets. Even if their pets are their lovers, and vice versa.
nettie, molly, babes, honey, dear one, sweetheart, bird, birdy, sweetie, sweetie pie, cupcake, dearheart and 14 more...
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Words For Novel
viridity, effigy, paragon, congested, acrid, lilting, clandestine, plethora, accolade, sardonic, naïve, reckoning and 285 more...
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Northern Territory
The Northern Territory of Australia. Suggestions welcome.
win-a-croc, angurugu, intervention, mala, qantas, ochre, nitmiluk, the ghan, wet season, dry season, nyinyikay, dragonfly and 94 more...
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mager's Words
enigmatic, pragmatic, pulchritudinous, nincompoop, annihilation, sociality, entailment, acrosome, egalitarian, culture, technocracy, shenanigan and 541 more...
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Words Covered in Faery Dust (S)
words that evoke magic, mystery, mayhem, magnificence or anything else that glimmers in the grass
sabian symbols, saffron, sagacious, sage, salamander, sally lunn, salmon, salsify, salt water taffy, samhain, sand dollar, sandalwood and 270 more...
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kimo2000's Words
pakalolo, miliated, voodoo, vindaloo, hacienda, acquiesce, addlepated, olio, akimbo, apropos, oogenesis, arugula and 181 more...
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Chainlink's Words
hat, opalescent, opal, emerald, sapphire, scythe, carnival, calliope, brilliant, awesome, feather, fantastic and 268 more...
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mariposa417's Words
cerulean, jewel, malfeasance, precipice, crossroads, beautiful, adore, sublime, superfluous, poppy, monarch, lashes and 101 more...
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S
saffron, sapphire, sashay, satin, seashell, seductive, sepia, serene, shadow, shimmer, silhouette, skyline and 96 more...
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Samme's Words
soliloquy, meander, creativity, magic, discovery, happiness, empowerment, abundance, [magnificent], iridescent, artistic, magical and 694 more...
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dienekes's Words
chutzpah, lexicon, intrepid, pedagogical, schlemiel, schism, erudite, anathema, pugilist, jaunty, paradigm, automaton and 949 more...
Tweets
Looking for tweets for sweetheart.
uselessness Only if you're a vampire. ;-) Feb 12, 2007
mager most hearts are sweet. Feb 12, 2007