callous

adjective cal·lous \ ˈka-ləs \

Updated on: 21 Apr 2018

Definition of callous

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

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callously

adverb

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callousness

noun

See callous defined for English-language learners

See callous defined for kids

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Examples of callous in a Sentence

… 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 Morning, 1954
a selfish and callous young man
a callous refusal to help the poor

Recent Examples of callous from the Web

Furthermore, the language used in the podcast was callous and violent.

— gabriella paiella, The Cut, "The Atlantic Has Fired Controversial Writer Kevin Williamson," 5 Apr. 2018
The staffers at the El Paso Times weren’t callous or dumb.

— steve almond, Longreads, "My Own ‘Bad Story’: I Thought Journalism Would Make a Hero of Me," 3 Apr. 2018
The avoidance of controversial topics in favor of conversations aimed at making him seem more relatable seems callous coming from the most powerful person in Chicago.

— maya dukmasova, Chicago Reader, "Rahm’s Chicago Stories podcast takes you inside the mind of the mayor," 14 Mar. 2018
The only witnesses are a callous single mother (Billie Piper) and a Vietnamese immigrant high on ketamine (Kae Alexander).

— sophie gilbert, The Atlantic, "Collateral: David Hare Tackles the Refugee Crisis," 10 Mar. 2018
After Duke was criticized for being callous, the school dropped the suit.

— douglas belkin, WSJ, "Pearson Family Sues University of Chicago Over $100 Million Gift," 6 Mar. 2018
To liberals and minorities in the broad Democratic coalition, immigration and the defense of the young undocumented immigrants known as Dreamers have become missions of resistance against a callous Trump administration.

— sheryl gay stolberg, New York Times, "Nancy Pelosi Wants to Take Back the House. But She Faces a More Urgent Test.," 11 Feb. 2018
As both professor and priest, I am profoundly saddened by Michigan State University’s public posture and seemingly callous regard for these girls and women.

— alexa mcmenamin, Teen Vogue, "Michigan State University President Steps Down," 26 Jan. 2018
Hayward recalled during a recent interview with Newsweek, adding that she was also shocked by her son’s callous reaction to the deadly bombings.

— michele mcphee, Newsweek, "Whoever Built the Boston Marathon Bombs is Still on the Loose, Able to Kill Again," 11 Jan. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'callous.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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 derive 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."