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 valuation gods declared a winner in the quest to be America’s premier New York radio station, the callous observer might say.
—
Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 19 Dec. 2025
The people behind prediction markets can be even more callous, while also offering even more opportunities to bet.
—Danny Funt, New Yorker, 12 Dec. 2025
Terms of UsePrivacy Policy Terms of UsePrivacy Policy Why should she be crucified for her son’s callous actions?
—Essence, 11 Dec. 2025
Set in the 1930s in the Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee, the show imagines Charles Dickens’ Ebenezer Scrooge as the owner of a mining company town where his callous greed blinds him to the joys and gifts of the season.
—Eric E. Harrison, Arkansas Online, 6 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for callous
Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 19 Dec. 2025
The people behind prediction markets can be even more callous, while also offering even more opportunities to bet.
—Danny Funt, New Yorker, 12 Dec. 2025
Terms of UsePrivacy Policy Terms of UsePrivacy Policy Why should she be crucified for her son’s callous actions?
—Essence, 11 Dec. 2025
Set in the 1930s in the Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee, the show imagines Charles Dickens’ Ebenezer Scrooge as the owner of a mining company town where his callous greed blinds him to the joys and gifts of the season.
—Eric E. Harrison, Arkansas Online, 6 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for callous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for callous
Adjective
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Grant me ruthless access to the psychological image, discomfortable mercy.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
22 Jan. 2026
-
His new persona as a fighting moderate, a Democrat in tune with the country’s shifting desires and ruthless toward the man at the top, deftly speaks to the needs of a party desperate to regain the White House.—
Jonathan Chait,
The Atlantic,
22 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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In the film, Leonardo DiCaprio plays Bob Ferguson, a former revolutionary who must save his teenage daughter after she’s kidnapped by the merciless army officer, Colonel Lockjaw (played by Sean Penn).—
Jazz Tangcay,
Variety,
21 Jan. 2026
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Iran’s attorney general has vowed to pursue merciless legal action against the latter, including the death penalty.—
Hira Humayun,
CNN Money,
12 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Without prosecutors empowered to bring charges against wrongdoers, judges willing to strike down overreach, legislators daring enough to demand investigations and change laws, and citizens outraged enough to protest, any revelations by journalists will fall on stony ground.—
Susan Chira,
Foreign Affairs,
2 Dec. 2025
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After that historic journey, NASA charted a new course toward Apophis, a stony metal-rich NEA that offers a sharp scientific contrast to Bennu's carbon-rich composition (and was once thought to pose a serious impact risk to Earth).—
Samantha Mathewson,
Space.com,
28 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Callous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/callous. Accessed 28 Jan. 2026.
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