1
as in ruthless
having or showing a lack of sympathy or tender feelings
a heartless boss who would fire people for missing work, even if they were sick as a dog
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in cruel
having or showing the desire to inflict severe pain and suffering on others
his heartless whipping of runaway slaves virtually to the point of death shocked even other slave owners
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 heartless
The $31 million bill will override a heartless funding cut by the state Department of Health and, for now, avoids a potential life-or-death situation for about 11,000 people in Florida.
—
Orlando Sentinel,
The Orlando Sentinel,
15 Mar. 2026
In 1965 Maryland, Sophia Clark is given an opportunity to attend a prestigious all white boarding school and escape her heartless parents.
—
Danielle Parker,
CBS News,
15 Feb. 2026
A lot of the tellings of the story set him up as this heartless crook out to enrich himself, hurt other people, and exploit the ocean.
—
Abigail Wise,
Outside,
13 Feb. 2026
Institutional evolution is inexorable and heartless.
—
Arkansas Online,
10 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for heartless
Orlando Sentinel,
The Orlando Sentinel,
15 Mar. 2026
In 1965 Maryland, Sophia Clark is given an opportunity to attend a prestigious all white boarding school and escape her heartless parents.
—
Danielle Parker,
CBS News,
15 Feb. 2026
A lot of the tellings of the story set him up as this heartless crook out to enrich himself, hurt other people, and exploit the ocean.
—
Abigail Wise,
Outside,
13 Feb. 2026
Institutional evolution is inexorable and heartless.
—
Arkansas Online,
10 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for heartless
Recent Examples of Synonyms for heartless
Adjective
-
Canadian quartet Truck Violence have been sloshing together these subgenres in a ruthless manner for several years now, and their sophomore album and debut for the Flenser aims for even higher drops between those peaks and valleys.
-
There was relative peace for 11 years, until a second civil war erupted in 1983, when leaders in Khartoum imposed sharia (Islamic) law and accelerated repression of the southern Christian rebels, which ultimately allowed a ruthless military officer, Omar al-Bashir, to come to power in 1989.
Adjective
-
Swift moved on from one Brit to the next, quietly dating actor Joe Alwyn from 2017 to 2023, while the world spent back-to-back cruel summers without Taymerica.
-
This is particularly gratifying given the absurd and cruel trolling the young actress received from the toxic corners of internet fandom leading up to the film’s release.
Adjective
-
The poem that precedes it, the Iliad, is a cruel and beautiful work, the ultimate story of war; the Odyssey has its warlike passages, but its central energies seem almost commonplace beside the merciless fury of Achilles.
-
Humility is the posture; the standard is merciless.
Adjective
-
The New York Mets are in disarray thanks to a brutal start to what was supposed to be a promising season.
-
In 1972, a year after a brutal conflict—one in which India helped with the rebirth of the eastern wing of Pakistan as Bangladesh—New Delhi and Islamabad concluded an agreement that resumed limited trade.
Adjective
-
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.
-
Instead of looking like a sleek urban loft, the room can quickly start to feel cold, stony, and impersonal.
Adjective
-
That’s still high, but moves downward mean less chance of a vicious cycle where expectations for higher inflation drive changes in behavior that create higher inflation.
-
That’s still high, but moves downward mean less chance of a vicious cycle where expectations for higher inflation drive changes in behavior that create higher inflation.
Adjective
-
The Yellow Death has disfigured the population, and soldiers in white-and-red tunics serve the savage Duke of Tviot.
-
Josefowicz, in her decathlon of a performance, brought Ligeti’s savage discontinuities to the surface.
Cite this Entry
“Heartless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/heartless. Accessed 2 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
