What does heartiest mean?
Heartiest is the superlative form of the adjective hearty. It means the most hearty in the relevant sense: exceptionally vigorous or robust, or exceptionally warm, sincere, enthusiastic, and wholehearted. The commonest use is in fixed expressions such as “the heartiest welcome” and “the heartiest congratulations,” where it conveys strong goodwill and personal warmth. It can also describe a person who is the strongest or most energetic in a group, though this use is less frequent. Although the word may appear formal or traditional in ceremonial settings, it remains natural in ordinary English. Compared with “most heartfelt,” “heartiest” tends to give greater emphasis to energy, cordiality, and robust enthusiasm. Its compact superlative form also makes it useful for emphatic descriptions of hospitality, thanks, support, and friendly regard.
adjectiveThe superlative of hearty, meaning the most vigorous, robust, warm, enthusiastic, or wholehearted.
- The most hearty; showing the greatest vigour, robustness, cordiality, warmth, or wholehearted enthusiasm.
"The villagers gave the travellers the heartiest welcome they had ever received."
"After the long climb, he was still the heartiest member of the group."
"She sent her warmest—and heartiest—congratulations to the newly married couple."
Move over, hearty: the heartiest is the superlative reserved for the greatest warmth, vigour, and enthusiasm.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does heartiest come from?
The adjective is formed from hearty by adding the superlative suffix -iest, with the final y of hearty replaced by i. English hearty in turn developed from heart with the adjective-forming suffix -y, and heart descends from Old English heorte, a Germanic word for the bodily organ and, by extension, the center of feeling. A parallel but historically separate Latin root, cor, also means “heart” and underlies words such as cordial and courage.
Related word forms
How heartiest is actually used
The word is standard in both British and American English. It is especially idiomatic in expressions of cordiality, affection, gratitude, or enthusiasm, and can sound deliberately old-fashioned in formal or ceremonial contexts.