half-hearted

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

There’s Mrs. Duggan’s sitting room, for example, with its “faint, high whistling of the gas fire”; and “the weary clatter of half-hearted washing-up” in a depressing cafe.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 24, 2026

And these memos lay bare the extent to which the work product underpinning these decisions is often half-hearted and vibes-based; animated more by grievance and hurt feelings than neutral legal rules.

From Slate • Apr. 21, 2026

So by those standards, what the California Highway Patrol discovered when they pulled over a driver in the carpool lane in West Covina recently would be half-hearted.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 17, 2026

But many observers doubt whether this approach will be any more effective than the months of rallies, faculty blockades and half-hearted general strikes.

From BBC • Jul. 4, 2025

We didn’t even want to go to Coffin’s Drug Store for a soda, when Dad extended a half-hearted invitation after the show.

From "Cheaper by the Dozen" by Frank B. Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey