Herzliche

Definition & meaning

Herzliche is an inflected form of herzlich, meaning:

• warm, cordial, friendly: expressing genuine friendliness or goodwill
  • eine herzliche Begrüßung — a warm welcome
• heartfelt, sincere: expressing strong and genuine emotion
  • herzliche Glückwünsche — heartfelt congratulations
• affectionate: showing fondness or warmth
  • herzliche Grüße — warmest regards

It is also commonly used in set phrases, especially at the beginning or end of letters and messages.

Grammar & word origin

Herzliche is the adjective herzlich with the ending -e. The ending depends on the noun’s gender, case, and determiner:

• eine herzliche Einladung — a cordial invitation
• die herzliche Atmosphäre — the warm atmosphere
• herzliche Grüße — warm regards

The word consists of:

• Herz — heart
• -lich — an adjective-forming suffix meaning “-like” or “related to”

Thus, herzlich literally means “heartfelt” or “coming from the heart.”

Synonyms & antonyms

Synonyms

• herzlich ↗ — warm and sincere; the basic form of the word
• warm ↗ — emotionally friendly, often less explicitly affectionate
• warmherzig ↗ — kind and compassionate, especially describing a person
• freundlich ↗ — friendly and pleasant, but potentially less emotionally intense
• aufrichtig ↗ — sincere and honest, without necessarily implying warmth
• innig ↗ — deeply affectionate or emotionally close

Antonyms

• kalt ↗ — cold or lacking emotional warmth
• unherzlich ↗ — unfriendly or lacking cordiality
• distanziert ↗ — emotionally distant or reserved
• lieblos ↗ — without affection or care

Common phrases & collocations

• herzliche Grüße [?](vocabuo://word/herzliche Grüße) — warm regards
• herzliche Glückwünsche [?](vocabuo://word/herzliche Glückwünsche) — heartfelt congratulations
• herzlichen Glückwunsch [?](vocabuo://word/herzlichen Glückwunsch) — congratulations
• herzlich willkommen [?](vocabuo://word/herzlich willkommen) — welcome
• herzliche Einladung [?](vocabuo://word/herzliche Einladung) — cordial invitation
• herzlich lachen [?](vocabuo://word/herzlich lachen) — to laugh heartily
• herzlich danken [?](vocabuo://word/herzlich danken) — to thank someone sincerely