Wear Your Heart on Your Sleeve Meaning and Definition 

The idiom Wear your heart on your sleeve meaning appropriately refers to a person who maintains complete emotional transparency. To elaborate, when a person wears his heart on his sleeve, he might struggle to hide his emotions properly. 

Interestingly, the idiomatic phrase holds its root in a middle age (Medieval Age) custom of Jousting Knights and Shakespeare’s legendary play Othello (1604). Both stories showcase that when a knight wanted to woo a certain lady, he would wear the colours associated with that lady on his sleeve (in a way to openly showcase his love). 

Also Read: Useful Idioms with Examples, Sentences and Meanings

Usage with Examples

The usage of wearing your heart on your sleeve is suitable for both a positive and critical remark. In other words, when you want to introduce someone’s good and bad attributes, then you can use the idiom. It might be a reference to him that he should maintain or work on this side of his/her. 

Let’s take a look at the following example for a better understanding and usage of the idiom:

• Emily wears her heart on her sleeve, always openly expressing her love and affection for her friends and family. 
• Tom is not one to wear his heart on his sleeve. He keeps his emotions guarded and rarely shows vulnerability, making it difficult for others to connect with him on a deeper level.
• Despite facing criticism, Sarah wears her heart on her sleeve and openly defends her beliefs and values. 

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Wear Your Heart on Your Sleeve Synonyms

You can also use these substitute phrases in place of using wear your heart on your sleeve idiom:

• Be open about one’s emotions
• Show vulnerability
• Express feelings openly
• Display one’s emotions openly

Wear Your Heart on Your Sleeve Meaning Quiz

Alex wears his heart on his sleeve when it comes to his hobbies and interests:

• He hates it when someone touches his painting tools. 
• He openly showcases his passion and creation of music and art.
• He walks 5 miles daily to reach his arts and crafts institute.

Answer: He openly showcases his passion and creation of music and art.

Also Read: Idioms for IELTS 

This was all about the meaning and definition of the idiom ‘Wear your heart on your sleeve’. Hopefully, you understood the concept where it’s used. For more such blogs, follow Leverage Edu.