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
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
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
See All Example Sentences for heartless
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
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
See All Example Sentences for heartless
Recent Examples of Synonyms for heartless
Adjective
-
The role of Chris Partlow, Marlo Stanfield's top lieutenant and ruthless hitman, was the first screen credit for Gbenga Akinnagbe.—
Derek Lawrence,
Entertainment Weekly,
2 June 2026
-
Lexi is adrift in the ruthless world of Hollywood.—
CT Jones,
Rolling Stone,
2 June 2026
Adjective
-
Electronic bugs are installed, secretaries listen in on every phone call and conversation, and rock 'n roll is banned in this cruel culture of absolute secrecy.—
Jeff Spry,
Space.com,
29 May 2026
-
The slaughter of Australian infantry at the hands of Turkish guns on the coastal region of Gallipoli has become emblematic of the pointless loss of life during this cruel conflict.—
Jordan Hoffman,
Entertainment Weekly,
29 May 2026
Adjective
-
Having catalogued the Black Death’s horrifying effects, Ibn Khatima went on to outline a series of preventative measures and active treatments designed to combat this merciless scourge.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 May 2026
-
The jokes on social media will be endless, and opposing fans will be merciless.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
20 May 2026
Adjective
-
Bichette is off to a brutal start, Francisco Lindor’s spring hamate injury may have affected his power even before his calf strain knocked him out for the last month, and Jorge Polanco has barely been on the field.—
Tim Britton,
New York Times,
29 May 2026
-
Hounded by a loud, impatient Eisenhower and faced with the very real evidence that a brutal trio of storms will make an early June invasion impossible, Stagg is torn between doing his duty and, well, doing his duty.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
29 May 2026
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.—
Emily Cox,
ARTnews.com,
22 May 2026
-
Instead of looking like a sleek urban loft, the room can quickly start to feel cold, stony, and impersonal.—
Natasha Bazika,
Martha Stewart,
9 May 2026
Adjective
-
Her vicious block on Clark with seven minutes left nearly lifted the roof off the place.—
Dieter Kurtenbach,
Mercury News,
29 May 2026
-
Other cast members spoke on rising to new challenges in Season 2, including Paulina Chavez, whose character Ariana Medina survived a vicious assault in the penultimate episode.—
Kai Naima Williams,
Variety,
27 May 2026
Adjective
-
Their twiggy legs and bony frames exposed in bathing suits, the kids do indeed look extra vulnerable within the film’s savage landscape.—
Beatrice Loayza,
Variety,
25 May 2026
-
Sure, sci-fi can be bleak — there's no end to the cosmic horrors and savage alien races that game developers can conjure up — but that almost always comes as a result of humanity's success in space.—
Ian Stokes,
Space.com,
24 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Heartless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/heartless. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
