Synonyms of callous

callous

adjective

ˈka-ləs 

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• ruthless
• merciless
• heartless
• stony
• hard
• abusive
• insensitive
• cruel
• pitiless
• unfeeling
• hateful
• oppressive
• compassionless
• harsh
• malicious
• inhumane
• brutal
• inhuman
• hard-hearted
• remorseless
• unsympathetic
• uncharitable
• soulless
• vicious
• insensate
• unmerciful
• tough
• obdurate
• cold-blooded
• stern
• unsparing
• desensitized
• indurate
• thick-skinned
• grim
• affectless
• slash-and-burn
• stoney
• case-hardened
• uncaring
• take-no-prisoners
• thoughtless
• hard-boiled
• severe
• savage
• pachydermatous
• inconsiderate
• unthinking
• mean
• boorish
• unloving
• rough
• spiteful
• ironhearted
• unfriendly
• heedless
• stonyhearted
• ungentle
• malevolent
• disagreeable
• virulent
• cold
• surly
• heavy-handed
• brutish
• barbarous
• bestial
• acrimonious
• rough-and-tumble
• ill-natured
• ill-tempered
• jackbooted
• rancorous
• ironfisted
• hard-bitten
• sledgehammer
• evil-minded
• ironhanded
• austere
• knock-down-and-drag-out
• frosty
• knock-down, drag-out

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• sympathetic
• warm
• sensitive
• charitable
• compassionate
• merciful
• humane
• gentle
• kindly
• benevolent
• kind
• tender
• mild
• lenient
• indulgent
• kindhearted
• softhearted
• friendly
• gracious
• tenderhearted
• warmhearted
• cordial
• benignant
• tolerant
• loving
• affectionate
• good-natured
• understanding
• fond
• clement
• good-tempered

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of callous

This absence of regulation has led to sometimes grotesque and callous treatment of human remains, an NBC News investigation found. —Mike Hixenbaugh, NBC News, 11 Dec. 2024

The often callous nature of the US health care system has long been a point of wide discussion, with evidence piling up that the way the country provides medical services is costly in both money and human life. —Dylan Scott, Vox, 6 Dec. 2024

Despite the warmth of a beach vacation, getting invited to join a group that’s been so callous to you would feel like awfully cold comfort. —R. Eric Thomas, The Mercury News, 11 Nov. 2024

But what marks the shoot with an indelible stain of guilt is her callous indifference toward the well-being of the cast and crew, in her reckless quest to make the film as real as possible. —Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 4 Sep. 2024

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