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
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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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of heartless
To them, he will be remembered as a cold, heartless businessman and a shamefully unkind man of the cloth who focused way too much on socializing, traveling and furthering his own agenda.
—
Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 3 Feb. 2026
In one corner, the heartless girlboss; in the other, the crackpot conspiracy theorist (who just happens to be more sympathetic and charismatic than such types usually are).
—Nate Jones, Vulture, 31 Jan. 2026
But state leaders should understand that ignoring their needs is not only heartless, but fiscally irresponsible.
—Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 23 Jan. 2026
Erika Kirk would trade EVERY title to have Charlie back, you heartless witch.
—Jordan King, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for heartless
Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 3 Feb. 2026
In one corner, the heartless girlboss; in the other, the crackpot conspiracy theorist (who just happens to be more sympathetic and charismatic than such types usually are).
—Nate Jones, Vulture, 31 Jan. 2026
But state leaders should understand that ignoring their needs is not only heartless, but fiscally irresponsible.
—Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 23 Jan. 2026
Erika Kirk would trade EVERY title to have Charlie back, you heartless witch.
—Jordan King, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for heartless
Recent Examples of Synonyms for heartless
Adjective
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Amongst the sandy plains of the Burning Springs region and throngs of raiders and ruthless cap collectors is Prime Video’s Fallout character, The Ghoul (Walton Goggins).—
Destiny Jackson,
Deadline,
26 Feb. 2026
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That’s thanks in one part to a gripping flash-forward narrative structure now so common it could be considered a cliché, and in another to Glenn Close’s indelible performance as ruthless litigator Patty Hewes.—
Matt Brennan,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Indeed, the covert interventions so central to the Cold War, which these men embodied, relied on some of the cruelest instruments in the tool kit of modern statecraft—assassination, coup d’état, mass murder, psychological manipulation, surrogate warfare, torture, and terror.—
Alfred McCoy,
Literary Hub,
26 Feb. 2026
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In what has to be the cruelest Survivor fate ever, Francesca came back to avenge being voted out first… and was then promptly voted out first again!—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
26 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Though both storms are similar — with a major storm system lingering over the region for over a day and whipping the region with merciless hurricane-level winds, driving inch after inch of wet snow — what made the 1978 storm so devastating was the apparent suddenness of its arrival.—
Doyle Rice,
USA Today,
24 Feb. 2026
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These are two of the most conniving, merciless people on television, and they’re bonded by the twin desire to be more like the other.—
Amanda Whiting,
Vulture,
23 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Two boys, ages 12 and 13, were charged by a grand jury this week as adults in the brutal rape of a 12-year-old girl in the garden area of a Miami apartment complex over the summer.—
David Goodhue,
Miami Herald,
27 Feb. 2026
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Sabrina Carpenter, Olivia Rodrigo, and SZA have all condemned the use of their music in propaganda videos tied to the government’s brutal immigration crackdown.—
Jon Blistein,
Rolling Stone,
27 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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High Street began to slope upward, and the terrain became stonier around the sides of the road as Revere and his horse, Brown Beauty, ascended Rock Hill.—
Kostya Kennedy,
Time,
16 Feb. 2026
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The area is populated with stony terraces and narrow streets where bistros serve good Italian food (this being so close to the Italian border) and markets to shop for artisanal items.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
9 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Our objective is to defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime, a vicious group of very hard, terrible people.—
Washington Examiner Staff,
The Washington Examiner,
28 Feb. 2026
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These forces—economic uncertainty, political division, and toxic algorithms—work in a vicious cycle to try and tell us that empathy is weakness… that kindness is gullibility… that sincerity is for suckers.—
DeJanay Booth-Singleton,
CBS News,
26 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Watching Marcia Gay Harden embark on a savage killing spree was not on my cinematic bingo card for 2026.—
Frank Scheck,
HollywoodReporter,
19 Feb. 2026
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Wade Wilson confessed to the savage murders of two women, yet even that brutality failed to repel admirers.—
Stephanie Nolasco,
FOXNews.com,
15 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Heartless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/heartless. Accessed 2 Mar. 2026.
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