hard-heartedness

noun

as in heartlessness

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Example Sentences

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 hard-heartedness Tarr's reputation for films tinged with misery and hard-heartedness, distinguished by black-and-white cinematography and unusually long sequences, only grew throughout the 1990s and 2000s, particularly after his 1994 film Sátántangó. — Alina Edwards, NPR, 6 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hard-heartedness
  1. heartlessness
  2. callousness
  3. coldness
  4. obduracy
  5. insensitivity
  6. hardness
  7. apathy
Noun
  • These young graduates start out naive about the heartlessness of the corporate world and harbor illusory hopes for success in unforgiving professions.
    — George Packer, The Atlantic, 16 Mar. 2026
  • The lives of the two children in the story, aged fourteen and four, are portrayed as being as fleeting as the fireflies, and the story is an unsentimental and unflinching account with moments of both tenderness and heartlessness.
    — Ginny Tapley Takemori September 4, Literary Hub, 4 Sep. 2025
Definition of heartlessness
Noun
  • Rather, the crisis of the Lincoln has illuminated a pattern of callousness and cruelty toward military personnel, people who have sworn an oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States of America.
    — Andrea N. Goldstein, The Atlantic, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Simon’s self-righteous callousness warranted a rebuke, but the rebuke provided Simon the opportunity to see the situation more clearly, to repent, and to love more going forward.
    — Eric Bashor, Christian Science Monitor, 13 July 2026
Definition of callousness
Noun
  • The danger occurs if that ruthlessness veers into institutional coldness.
    — James McNicholas, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2026
  • The music recalled the angst and coldness of Carpenter’s movie scores but with more robust arrangements, buttressed by Davies’ guitar.
    — Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of coldness
Noun
  • Perhaps the greatest testament to Morocco’s obduracy came late in normal time, when Rodri — a central midfielder being deployed as a central defender — strode forward and shot, more in hope than in expectation, from 35 yards.
    — Rory Smith, New York Times, 6 Dec. 2022
  • But a year later, more than two dozen of them remain stuck in Afghanistan, stalled by bureaucratic wrangling, the vagaries of international diplomacy and the obduracy of the Taliban government.
    — Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2022
Definition of obduracy
Noun
  • Sherman is known to savage, with unglamorous insensitivity, the vaunted creative directors of the great houses.
    — Aidan McLaughlin, Vanity Fair, 19 Aug. 2026
  • The endeavor ultimately showed how the group’s interdependent dynamic made for constant self-incrimination and insensitivity masquerading as selflessness.
    — Dennis Perkins, Entertainment Weekly, 28 July 2026
Definition of insensitivity
Noun
  • The differentiator between the three is the hardness of the brush.
    — Celia Shatzman, Forbes.com, 23 Aug. 2026
  • The best rocks are hard, non-porous rocks with a non-gritty surface, ideally a seven on the Mohs’ hardness scale.
    — BestReviews, Mercury News, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of hardness
Noun
  • The result, says Roya, is deepening apathy among her fellow citizens, whose preoccupation now is just getting by.
    — Scott Peterson, Christian Science Monitor, 1 Sep. 2026
  • The moms Naturepedic surveyed simply want to do fewer chores—that means that partners and kids really need to step it up to make sure everyone is pulling their weight around the house, not just leaving it all to mom out of apathy.
    — Parents, Parents, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of apathy

Browse Nearby Words

hard-heartedly
hard-heartedness
hardihood
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Cite this Entry

“Hard-heartedness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hard-heartedness. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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