to take to heart
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
To feel deeply pained at something which has occurred; to appreciate fully the implications of.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “to take to heart” mean?
To feel deeply pained at something which has occurred; to appreciate fully the implications of.
Is “to take to heart” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.