heart of stone

English

Etymology

From Ezekiel 36:25 of the King James Bible.

Pronunciation

• Audio (AU)

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Noun

heart of stone (plural hearts of stone)

1. (figuratively, idiomatic) A hardhearted character, stern or cruel nature.

   She's got a heart of stone.

   • 2023 September 12, Phil McNulty, “Scotland 1-3 England: 'Complete package' Jude Bellingham puts concluding flourish on world-class performance”, in BBC Sport‎^[1]:

     It would take a heart of stone, or an opposition supporter, not to feel some measure of sympathy for a player whose career has come to a standstill at club level and does not seem able to catch a break when he does make a rare appearance.

Antonyms

• heart of gold

Related terms

• stonehearted

Translations

stonehearted character

• Finnish: kivisydän
• French: cœur de pierre (fr)
• Polish: serce z kamienia (pl) n
• Portuguese: coração duro
• Udmurt: из сюлем (iz śuľem)

See also

• heart of glass