callousness

noun

as in heartlessness

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Example Sentences

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 callousness The boys’ callousness quickly turned to disgust, their contempt steadily aimed at Neil. — S. M. Reznik, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2026 Vicki brushes it off, and even Shannon can’t defend her friend’s callousness. — Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 11 Sep. 2026 Swift was born into the Anglo-Irish Protestant elite, and the text satires both the callousness of his class and a then-ascendant approach to morality and politics that held that all aspects of life could be cooked down to a pure numerical value. — Dónal Gill, The Dial, 8 Sep. 2026 Rather, the crisis of the Lincoln has illuminated a pattern of callousness and cruelty toward military personnel, people who have sworn an oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States of America. — Andrea N. Goldstein, The Atlantic, 28 Aug. 2026 Simon’s self-righteous callousness warranted a rebuke, but the rebuke provided Simon the opportunity to see the situation more clearly, to repent, and to love more going forward. — Eric Bashor, Christian Science Monitor, 13 July 2026 Before leaders such as Cox and Warnock were on the national stage, Hogan’s pragmatism, steady leadership and independence kept a better version of politics alive even as our public culture raced toward callousness and cruelty. — Colin Pascal, Baltimore Sun, 8 July 2026 The jury further determined that the crimes involved a threat of great bodily harm and demonstrated a high degree of cruelty, viciousness or callousness, the district attorney's office said. — Richard Ramos, CBS News, 18 June 2026 Hantz was turning callousness into spectacle and many viewers were hungry for it. — Shaan Merchant, Rolling Stone, 20 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for callousness
  1. heartlessness
  2. coldness
  3. insensitivity
  4. obduracy
  5. hardness
  6. callosity
Noun
  • Their resistance to Trump’s bullying, corruption, and heartlessness has gained new political force.
    — David Remnick, New Yorker, 7 Nov. 2026
  • These young graduates start out naive about the heartlessness of the corporate world and harbor illusory hopes for success in unforgiving professions.
    — George Packer, The Atlantic, 16 Mar. 2026
Definition of heartlessness
Noun
  • The house was a metaphor for the coldness of a relationship that’s faded and atrophied.
    — Chris Willman, Variety, 28 Sep. 2026
  • The danger occurs if that ruthlessness veers into institutional coldness.
    — James McNicholas, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of coldness
Noun
  • In a variation on her character from Parasite, Cho deftly underplays Yi-je’s insensitivity as another woman projecting a blithe lack of awareness of her privilege.
    — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Sherman is known to savage, with unglamorous insensitivity, the vaunted creative directors of the great houses.
    — Aidan McLaughlin, Vanity Fair, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of insensitivity
Noun
  • Perhaps the greatest testament to Morocco’s obduracy came late in normal time, when Rodri — a central midfielder being deployed as a central defender — strode forward and shot, more in hope than in expectation, from 35 yards.
    — Rory Smith, New York Times, 6 Dec. 2022
  • But a year later, more than two dozen of them remain stuck in Afghanistan, stalled by bureaucratic wrangling, the vagaries of international diplomacy and the obduracy of the Taliban government.
    — Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2022
Definition of obduracy
Noun
  • Chrysoberyl is a rare gemstone prized for its exceptional hardness and brilliance, known for its honey and chartreuse hues that shift under the light, making Khaled’s one-of-a-kind watch shine that much brighter.
    — Taylor Stoddard, Robb Report, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Tooth enamel is the hardest substance in the human body, measuring about 5 on the Mohs hardness scale, which is higher than some types of iron and steel, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
    — Ryan Brennan, Miami Herald, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of hardness
Noun
  • The 17-year-old mother, named for a callosity near her blowhole that looks like a snow cone, no longer had the same girth or the dark black skin of a healthy right whale.
    — David Abel, BostonGlobe.com, 30 Sep. 2022
  • The callosity patterns, like fingerprints, are unique to each whale, allowing researchers who have pored over whale catalogue photos to recognize plenty in the wild.
    — Dino Grandoni, Anchorage Daily News, 22 Apr. 2022
Definition of callosity

Browse Nearby Words

callously
callousness
call out
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Callousness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/callousness. Accessed 14 Nov. 2026.

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