CALLOUSLY Synonyms: 62 Similar and Opposite Words

callously

adverb

as in heartlessly

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of callously The department was known to operate callously, firing people by email or locking them out of buildings. — Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 10 June 2026 Altman accused of making ChatGPT unsafe The lawsuit joins prior suits accusing Altman of callously deploying AI systems without regard for user safety. — Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 1 June 2026 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for callously

Adverb

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
In the process, Joel heartlessly killed some innocent people, including medical professionals.

— EW.com, EW.com, 26 Aug. 2025

Definition of heartlessly

Adverb

That pointed straight at a spillage from substitute goalkeeper Senne Lammens in the 88th minute, punished ruthlessly by Merino for the decisive goal.

— Oliver Kay, New York Times, 15 July 2026
But when the swirl of events beyond their control caught them into something immeasurably larger than a single game of soccer, not even the strength of their new mentality was enough to prevent them from being ruthlessly swept away.

— Mark Sappenfield, Christian Science Monitor, 7 July 2026

Definition of ruthlessly

Adverb

For the second year in a row, this quiet Hill Country town is digging itself out of a catastrophe that has mercilessly taken a community trying to heal and set them back on the path of mourning.

— Alaa Elassar, CNN Money, 20 July 2026
An ensuing mob of fans trying to take the stadium shuttle to the Netherlands-Tunisia match got mercilessly down poured on.

— Sophie Lindberg, Kansas City Star, 14 July 2026

Definition of mercilessly

Adverb

Residents were treated carelessly, disrespectfully, insensitively.

— Carol Marbin Miller, Miami Herald, 2 Apr. 2026
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

Definition of insensitively

Adverb

In May 2025, the zoo posted a video of authorities taking a giraffe and accused them of seizing it inhumanely.

— Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 22 June 2026
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

Definition of inhumanely

Adverb

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
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

Definition of unsparingly

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callous

callously

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“Callously.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/callously. Accessed 21 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of callously

adverb

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