weər jɔːr hɑːrt ɒn jɔːr sliːv
Emotions
neutral
intermediate
- Literally:
- Displaying your heart visibly on clothing
What does "wear your heart on your sleeve" mean?
- To openly show your emotions
- To be very transparent about your feelings
Examples
- She wears her heart on her sleeve—you always know how she feels.
- He's not one to wear his heart on his sleeve.
- In business, don't wear your heart on your sleeve.
Origin
Possibly from medieval jousting where knights wore tokens from their loves on their sleeves. Shakespeare used it in Othello.
How to use it
Can be positive (authentic) or negative (too vulnerable) depending on context.
Similar expressions
be emotionally open
show feelings
be transparent
Opposites
hide emotions
be poker-faced
keep feelings hidden
Related idioms
- hang in there
To persevere during difficult times
- lose your temper
To become suddenly angry
- get cold feet
To become nervous or afraid before doing something important
- on top of the world
Feeling extremely happy and successful
- rain on someone's parade
To spoil someone's plans or enthusiasm
- blow off steam
To release pent-up energy or emotion through activity
Use it in a practice answer
Try "wear your heart on your sleeve" in a CELPIP-style Speaking or Writing task. The AI feedback tells you whether your word choice worked.