sweethearts

IPA/ˈswiːt.hɑːt/
KK[swˈithˌɑrts]IPA/ˈswiːt.hɑːrt/

sweethearts — noun

  • sweetheartssingular
  • sweetheartsesplural

1. a person with whom someone shares a romantic relationship, such as a boyfriend,

1.nounA2
Definition

a person with whom someone shares a romantic relationship, such as a boyfriend, girlfriend, or the person they are in love with

Example

Camila introduced her new sweetheart, Ryo, to her family at the dinner party.

possessive determiner + sweetheart — introducing a partner

After three years apart, Talia and her high-school sweetheart got back together.

high-school sweetheart — common collocation

Common collocations
  • childhood sweetheart
  • high-school sweetheart
  • college sweetheart
  • old sweetheart
Synonyms
  • boyfriend/girlfriend

    more specific about gender and more common in everyday speech

  • lover

    suggests a sexual relationship and sounds more intense

  • partner

    neutral term used for long-term relationships, including unmarried couples

  • significant other

    formal or humorous alternative that avoids gender specifics

Antonyms

Usage Note

Frequently modified by a time-of-life noun (high-school sweetheart, college sweetheart, childhood sweetheart) to indicate when the relationship began. The plural sweethearts can refer to a romantic couple.

Common Mistakes

My sweetheart is coming to pick me up' (informal writing).
My boyfriend is coming to pick me up' or 'My sweetheart is coming to pick me up.
sweetheart is natural in informal and affectionate contexts but may sound old-fashioned to some younger speakers.

2. a friendly word for speaking directly to a person who is dear to you, such as a

2.nounA2
Definition

a friendly word for speaking directly to a person who is dear to you, such as a child, a spouse, or a partner, to show that you feel affection for them

Example

Goodnight, sweetheart, Hannah whispered as she tucked her daughter into bed.

vocative use: 'Goodnight, sweetheart' at bedtime

Don't cry, sweetheart, Aunt Camila told the little boy who had scraped his knee.

comforting a child with 'sweetheart'

Synonyms
  • darling

    equally affectionate, slightly more common in British English

  • honey

    very common in American English as a casual term of endearment

  • dear

    slightly more formal, often used by older speakers

Usage Note

Used only as a direct form of address (vocative) — you cannot refer to someone as 'a sweetheart' in this sense. For that referential meaning, see sense 1 or sense 3 below. Common in family settings and between romantic partners; may sound patronising if used with strangers.

Common Mistakes

She called him sweetheart when talking about him.
She called him 'sweetheart' when speaking to him.
this sense is vocative (addressing someone directly), not referential (talking about someone).

3. a person who is kind, generous, and thoughtful towards others, often doing nice

3.nounB1
Definition

a person who is kind, generous, and thoughtful towards others, often doing nice things without expecting anything in return

Example

Obi is such a sweetheart — he brought soup to every sick colleague in his office.

such a sweetheart — common pattern for praising someone's kindness

Their elderly neighbour is a real sweetheart who always shares home-baked apple cookies.

a real sweetheart — intensifying the compliment

Common collocations
  • such a sweetheart
  • a real sweetheart
  • a sweetheart of a [noun]
Synonyms
  • dear

    similar in expressing fondness, but can be used as a noun or adjective

Antonyms
  • jerk

    strong opposite, very informal; describes someone rude or unkind

Usage Note

Countable noun used in the pattern 'be a sweetheart.' Common after phrases like 'such a sweetheart' or 'a real sweetheart.' Unlike sense 2, this sense is referential (talking about someone), not vocative (addressing them).

Common Mistakes

She is sweetheart teacher.
She is a sweetheart of a teacher.' or 'She is such a sweetheart.
sweetheart in this sense needs a determiner (a/the/such a).

sweethearts — adjective

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Sweetheart (noun sense 1) is a warm, slightly old-fashioned word for a romantic partner. Unlike boyfriend or girlfriend, sweetheart does not specify gender and is less common in everyday conversation among younger speakers — it tends to appear in affectionate or nostalgic contexts. Lover emphasises the sexual aspect of a relationship and can sound dramatic or formal. Partner is a modern, neutral term used for long-term relationships regardless of marital status or sexual orientation, common in official forms and everyday use. Significant other is a deliberately vague but polite term often used in writing or formal introductions. For example, you would introduce 'my partner' at work but tell a close friend 'I'm meeting my sweetheart after class' if you want to sound tender.

boyfriend ↗girlfriend ↗lover ↗partner ↗significant other

Common collocations

Nouns

  • childhood sweetheart
  • high-school sweetheart
  • college sweetheart

Phrases

  • such a sweetheart
  • a real sweetheart

Etymology

Middle EnglishEnglish

Sweetheart comes from the Middle English phrase swete herte (around 1300), combining swete (sweet, pleasant to the senses) and herte (heart, the organ seen as the seat of love and emotion). It was first used as a term of endearment when addressing a loved one, and by the late 1500s it had also come to mean the person loved — the romantic partner themselves. The adjective meaning (as in 'sweetheart deal') emerged in American English in the early 1900s, drawing on the idea of a favour done for someone you are close to.

First known use

13th century

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a Adjective