CALLOUS Synonyms: 113 Similar and Opposite Words

callous

adjective

ˈka-ləs

Definition of callous

as in ruthless

having or showing a lack of sympathy or tender feelings the callous comment "It's just a fish," when the boy's pet died, made him cry

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of callous The doc is similarly unflinching in showing the horrific scene from 1900 in which Donald Sutherland’s sadistic fascist murders a young boy in a shockingly callous way, while Laura Betti as his equal in cruelty dissolves into blood-curdling cackles. — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 9 Sep. 2026 Just not as much as the callous bosses who created this indefensible, toxic situation and the fanatics who once cheered it. — Candace Buckner, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026 This is a callous continuation of the ongoing campaign by the same individuals and groups targeting Jewish people and the state of Israel, a pattern of antisemitism and misinformation that puts our community in grave danger. — K.j. Yossman, Variety, 25 Aug. 2026 Over the last year, advocates have collected declarations from scores of detainees describing inedible food, substandard medical care and callous treatment at the hands of guards and staff. — Sonja Sharp, Los Angeles Times, 19 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for callous

Recent Examples of Synonyms for callous

Adjective

She is described as brusque, cantankerous, ruthless — and also a killer.

— Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 8 Oct. 2026
Such ruthless prioritization produced some admirable results.

— Julianne Smith, Foreign Affairs, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of ruthless

Adjective

The book’s humor is sharp and merciless, akin to that of a standup comedy show, and yet the things described are far from funny.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 14 Oct. 2026
Cora, the granddaughter of a woman kidnapped from West Africa and sold into slavery, flees her captor’s plantation, plunging her into the book’s alternate steampunk reality where she is pursued by the merciless slave catcher Ridgeway.

— David Faris, TheWeek, 16 Sep. 2026

Definition of merciless

Adjective

Oscar Wilde, for example, reposes beneath a hulking deity whose iconoclastic castration, back in 1961, did little to restrain pilgrims seeking to smear red lips across his stony physique.

— Emily Cox, ARTnews.com, 22 May 2026
Instead of looking like a sleek urban loft, the room can quickly start to feel cold, stony, and impersonal.

— Natasha Bazika, Martha Stewart, 9 May 2026

Definition of stony

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callous

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“Callous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/callous. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of callous

adjective

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