callous

1 of 2

adjective

cal·​lous ˈka-ləs How to pronounce callous (audio)
1
a
: being hardened and thickened
b
: having calluses
callous hands
2
a
: feeling no emotion
b
: feeling or showing no sympathy for others : hard-hearted
a callous indifference to suffering
callously adverb
callousness noun

callous

2 of 2

verb

cal·​lous ˈka-ləs How to pronounce callous (audio)
calloused; callousing; callouses

transitive verb

: to make callous
hands calloused by hard manual labor

Did you know?

A callus is a hard, thickened area of skin that develops usually from friction or irritation over time. Such a hardened area often leaves one less sensitive to the touch, so it's no surprise that the adjective callous, in addition to describing skin that is hard and thick, can also be used as a synonym for harsh or insensitive. Both callus and callous come via Middle English from Latin. The figurative sense of callous entered English almost 300 years after the literal sense, and Robert Louis Stevenson used it aptly when he wrote in Treasure Island "But, indeed, from what I saw, all these buccaneers were as callous as the sea they sailed on."

Examples of callous in a Sentence

Adjective … under Orton's own companionable charm there was something hard and callous, the result no doubt of a loveless upbringing … Benedict Nightingale, New York Times Book Review, 10 May 1987
… the scenes involving the snotty, callous dean ring false right from the start … Pauline Kael, New Yorker, 8 Apr. 1985
Patient, cold and callous, our hands wrapped in socks, we waited to snowball the cats. Dylan Thomas, "A Child's Christmas in Wales," in Quite Early One Morning1954
a selfish and callous young man a callous refusal to help the poor
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
The act, at once callous and caring, will stay with me. Phil Klay, The Atlantic, 12 Mar. 2024 Price stars as Prospero, a callous prince who throws a masked ball while a plague rages just outside his castle — but then an unexpected guest arrives to spoil the party. Katie Rife, EW.com, 12 Mar. 2024 But in Northern California, where PG&E’s callous and greedy disregard for customers’ safety and service cause increasingly frequent power outages, my landline is the only thing that works when the power is out. Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 7 Mar. 2024 Denying them the opportunity is a callous dismissal. Robin Givhan, Washington Post, 5 Mar. 2024 The suit comes days after another legal filing in the world of Bravo’s Real Housewives franchise, this one from a former cast member of its New York variant claiming coercion and a callous nature toward cast members’ mental health and alleging some questionable-to-bad behavior from producers. Kevin Dolak, The Hollywood Reporter, 29 Feb. 2024 The key asset of Russia’s forces now is persistence - dogged and callous. Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, 19 Feb. 2024 The idea of evictions and lack of access to housing is particularly resonant, Mr. Doyle said, because of Ireland’s centuries under British rule, during which the callous absentee landlord became a byword for oppression. Megan Specia, New York Times, 15 Jan. 2024 But to anyone else, our playful banter about the injured would have seemed callous, monstrous even. Cathleen Calkins, Longreads, 23 Jan. 2024
Verb
Do not water for the first two weeks after placement so that the ends of the cuttings can callous over. Joshua Siskin, Orange County Register, 16 Feb. 2024 Thin and tanned, hands calloused from years of wielding a chain saw, the pastor looked no different from thousands of others struggling to survive along the Purus. Bishop Sand, Washington Post, 17 Feb. 2024 Manual laborers, for example, often have calloused hands that fingerprint scanners are unable to read reliably. Nandan Nilekani, Foreign Affairs, 14 Aug. 2018 His hands are raw, his feet are calloused, but Monday was a new day, a new challenge, inspiring new hope. Bob Nightengale, USA TODAY, 27 Apr. 2020 His beard was rough, and his hands were cracked and calloused. Peter Talbot, The Seattle Times, 14 June 2019

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'callous.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective and Verb

Middle English, from Latin callosus, from callum, callus callous skin

First Known Use

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1769, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of callous was in the 14th century

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Dictionary Entries Near callous

Cite this Entry

“Callous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/callous. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

callous

adjective
cal·​lous
ˈkal-əs
1
a
: being hardened and thickened
b
: having calluses
callous hands
2
: feeling or showing no sympathy for others : unfeeling
a callous refusal to help the poor
callously adverb
callousness noun

Medical Definition

callous

adjective
cal·​lous ˈkal-əs How to pronounce callous (audio)
1
: being hardened and thickened
2
: having calluses

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