English Reference
Idiom idiom

heart of glass


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

Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.


SIMPLE

He is careful because he has a heart of glass.

You must be gentle because your partner has a heart of glass.

Does he know that his new girlfriend has a heart of glass?

CONTEXTUAL

She avoids new relationships because she knows she has a heart of glass and fears getting hurt again.

After his last breakup, he realized he has a heart of glass and needs to take things much slower with new people.

My friend hides her heart of glass behind a tough personality so that nobody can see how easily she gets hurt.

I worry about my younger brother because he has a heart of glass and cries for days whenever a crush ignores his messages.

COMPLEX

The poet wrote of a heart of glass, shattered by the slightest indifference of a lover who never truly understood the depth of her devotion.


A figurative construction derived from the physical properties of glass, specifically its tendency to fracture under pressure. The metaphor relies upon the perceived fragility of the material to illustrate a corresponding susceptibility to emotional damage.


Related idioms8entries
  1. 01

    absence makes the heart grow fonder

    One feels more love or affection for those one loves when parted from them.

  2. 02

    all heart

    Motivated by positive emotions, especially as productive of exceptionally generous or kind behavior.

  3. 03

    be still my heart

    An admonition to oneself to calm down when overly excited, especially in terms of romantic attraction.

  4. 04

    break someone's heart

    To cause a person to feel grief, disappointment, or sadness.

  5. 05

    broken heart

    A feeling of grief or loss, especially after a failed romantic relationship.

  6. 06

    change of heart

    A change of one's opinion, belief or decision.

  7. 07

    cross my heart

    A declaration that the speaker is telling the truth.

  8. 08

    cross my heart and hope to die

    Added to a promise or a statement to show how serious one was about being honest in what one said

Last updated August 10, 2026