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
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Recent Examples of callous
The silence of the people around us did not erase our differences; the sound of the fireworks in the distance was a callous reminder of the disagreements that did exist.
—
Eranda Jayawickreme, The Conversation, 24 Mar. 2026
Some even condemned them as callous toward civilian suffering.
—Nazanin Boniadi, Time, 11 Mar. 2026
This is the result of years of callous mismanagement and broken promises.
—Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 9 Feb. 2026
But German timidity before Israel’s moral blackmail only partly explains Habermas’s callous attitude toward the country’s Palestinian victims.
—Sean Williams, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for callous
Eranda Jayawickreme, The Conversation, 24 Mar. 2026
Some even condemned them as callous toward civilian suffering.
—Nazanin Boniadi, Time, 11 Mar. 2026
This is the result of years of callous mismanagement and broken promises.
—Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 9 Feb. 2026
But German timidity before Israel’s moral blackmail only partly explains Habermas’s callous attitude toward the country’s Palestinian victims.
—Sean Williams, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for callous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for callous
Adjective
-
His eyes gave him away as a ruthless competitor.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
28 May 2026
-
But then there's Dixie Bennings (LeAnn Rimes), a ruthless country singer and the thorn in Don's side.—
Britt Hayes,
Entertainment Weekly,
28 May 2026
Adjective
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Having catalogued the Black Death’s horrifying effects, Ibn Khatima went on to outline a series of preventative measures and active treatments designed to combat this merciless scourge.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 May 2026
-
The jokes on social media will be endless, and opposing fans will be merciless.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
20 May 2026
Adjective
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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
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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
Cite this Entry
“Callous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/callous. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
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