heartless

adjective

ˈhärt-ləs How to pronounce heartless (audio)
Definition of heartlessnext
1
as in ruthless
having or showing a lack of sympathy or tender feelings a heartless boss who would fire people for missing work, even if they were sick as a dog

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in cruel
having or showing the desire to inflict severe pain and suffering on others his heartless whipping of runaway slaves virtually to the point of death shocked even other slave owners

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 heartless The script, by Ed Solomon, treats the Sklar siblings as cardboard grotesques—heartless, talentless, united in their loathing of a father who loathes them right back. — Justin Chang, New Yorker, 3 Apr. 2026 Where the latter brought incredible jokes and plenty of heart, the former is purposefully heartless and half-intentionally predictable. — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 17 Mar. 2026 The $31 million bill will override a heartless funding cut by the state Department of Health and, for now, avoids a potential life-or-death situation for about 11,000 people in Florida. — Orlando Sentinel, The Orlando Sentinel, 15 Mar. 2026 Kane was a fan favorite heroine-villain female fictional character who may have appeared heartless on the show at times. — Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes.com, 28 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for heartless
Recent Examples of Synonyms for heartless
  1. ruthless
  2. cruel
  3. merciless
  4. brutal
  5. stony
  6. vicious
  7. savage
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
  • In response to legislation to end the cruelty once and for all, the Daily News once again trotted out its old and tired defense of this cruel, deadly and outdated industry.
    — Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 18 Oct. 2026
  • Policing cringe is the cruelest métier of the internet—the origin of harassment campaigns and platforming of contempt.
    — Eugenie Brinkema, ARTnews.com, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of cruel
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
  • Especially for a team that's played a brutal schedule through the first six weeks.
    — Zach Dean OutKick, FOXNews.com, 16 Oct. 2026
  • The Broncos get a long weekend off after their brutal six-week opening stretch.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of brutal
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
Adjective
  • So too, the possibility of Rollerball-style carnage carnivals where robots compete in vicious cage matches until only one android is still moving.
    — Rick Burton, Sportico.com, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Cash reserves totaling $ 7,450,869 are being used to eviscerate his opponent with a vicious barrage of ad hominem assaults, thus giving him a 61 to 1 spending edge.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of vicious
Adjective
  • Onscreen, this ethnic conflict allowed Ken-san and other kimonoed gangsters to be presented as pure, sincere, patriotic heroes fighting for traditional Japanese values against savage aliens as well as local, gun-toting yakuza.
    — Ian Buruma, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
  • The Indian pilot who fought off a savage attack by his copilot and helped prevent an apparent hijack of a Flydubai plane heading to Israel with more than 170 people on board is being hailed as a hero.
    — Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of savage

Browse Nearby Words

heartiness
heartless
heartlessly
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Cite this Entry

“Heartless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/heartless. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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