# heart of glass

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/heart-of-glass
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

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

## Examples

- 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?
- 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.
- 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.

## Origin

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.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.