as in heartlessly
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Recent Examples of callously
The heartbroken mother of a 15-year-old boy who was beaten and fatally shot inside a Queens park as dozens of teens callously filmed the slaying on their phones condemned his killer — and those who did nothing but watch him die.
—
Kerry Burke, New York Daily News, 18 Apr. 2026
Marley’s level of fame and influence meant that, after his death at 36, his legacy, his spirit, his brand was to be shaped by a record industry that could be callously indifferent to truth or quality at the expense of revenue.
—Eric Harvey, Pitchfork, 18 Jan. 2026
Some industry representatives ahead of the meeting expressed worry that attending risked casting them as willing participants in a callously opportunistic grab for Venezuela’s crude, people familiar with the matter said.
—Bloomberg Wire, Dallas Morning News, 10 Jan. 2026
The director plays up the humor a lot more than Westlake’s callously cynical prose, for better or worse.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 30 Sep. 2025
But after the Sriracha-maker callously withheld payments from Underwood, the relationship deteriorated and litigation followed.
—Kate Vitasek, Forbes.com, 14 Aug. 2025
One of the youngest of the MacKenzie brood (and often seen with sister Janet), Jocasta Cameron is sometimes callously honest, perpetually jealous of the attention Ellen gets, and unhappily married to an old man.
—Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 8 Aug. 2025
Kerry Burke, New York Daily News, 18 Apr. 2026
Marley’s level of fame and influence meant that, after his death at 36, his legacy, his spirit, his brand was to be shaped by a record industry that could be callously indifferent to truth or quality at the expense of revenue.
—Eric Harvey, Pitchfork, 18 Jan. 2026
Some industry representatives ahead of the meeting expressed worry that attending risked casting them as willing participants in a callously opportunistic grab for Venezuela’s crude, people familiar with the matter said.
—Bloomberg Wire, Dallas Morning News, 10 Jan. 2026
The director plays up the humor a lot more than Westlake’s callously cynical prose, for better or worse.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 30 Sep. 2025
But after the Sriracha-maker callously withheld payments from Underwood, the relationship deteriorated and litigation followed.
—Kate Vitasek, Forbes.com, 14 Aug. 2025
One of the youngest of the MacKenzie brood (and often seen with sister Janet), Jocasta Cameron is sometimes callously honest, perpetually jealous of the attention Ellen gets, and unhappily married to an old man.
—Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 8 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for callously
Adverb
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Victim Nyron Shaw’s father said the driver who mowed his son down last year in Ocean Hill a day before Independence Day should face the maximum penalty for allegedly driving twice the speed limit and heartlessly taking off, leaving his son to die.—
Nicholas Williams,
New York Daily News,
8 Apr. 2026
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In the process, Joel heartlessly killed some innocent people, including medical professionals.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
26 Aug. 2025
Adverb
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Sometimes that means honoring the past; sometimes that means ruthlessly hitting reset with a lively new Bond for our modern times (the game even features tension over AI).—
Jordan Minor,
PC Magazine,
29 May 2026
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Tire management has improved dramatically since the opening rounds, while his qualifying performances have become ruthlessly consistent.—
Peter Lyon,
Forbes.com,
25 May 2026
Adverb
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The home crowd mercilessly booed Schultz as Arraez jogged off the pain, then cheered even louder when the pitcher was pulled from the game.—
Justice delos Santos,
Mercury News,
24 May 2026
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Because sometimes, somebody will go down, and then the other fighter will jump on him and start punching him mercilessly in the head.—
David Remnick,
New Yorker,
22 May 2026
Adverb
-
Residents were treated carelessly, disrespectfully, insensitively.—
Carol Marbin Miller,
Miami Herald,
2 Apr. 2026
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In this volatile environment, comments that appear to minimize or frame the shooting insensitively—like Matt Gutman's—can quickly become career-ending.—
Martha McHardy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Sep. 2025
Adverb
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The first hour, set at a resort that’s like a singles cruise through the Twilight Zone (or Bachelor in Paradise beamed in from a brutal alternate universe), contains some of the most pitilessly funny scenes of the filmmaker’s career.—
A.A. Dowd,
Vulture,
24 Oct. 2025
Adverb
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The complaints also allege the 37 people detained were taken to the Broadview ICE detention center where they were treated inhumanely.—
Sara Tenenbaum,
CBS News,
13 May 2026
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Building Alligator Alcatraz and being proud of treating people inhumanely while at the same time stealing money for his charity is disgusting.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
25 Mar. 2026
Adverb
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Any party member who seeks to defy his wishes risks losing a seat, being unmercifully gaslit, or trashed on Truth Social.—
Rob Crilly,
The Washington Examiner,
22 May 2026
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Now my son is dead after suffering unmercifully.—
Rick Sobey,
Boston Herald,
6 Feb. 2026
Adverb
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Kahlo vibrantly and unsparingly depicted herself and events from her life, which was upended by a bus accident at 18.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
30 Nov. 2025
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Kahlo vibrantly and unsparingly depicted herself and events from her life, which was upended by a bus accident at 18.—
Hannah Schoenbaum,
Fortune,
24 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Callously.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/callously. Accessed 1 Jun. 2026.
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