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
Many of my family members are still upset with me even as far as calling me cruel and heartless.
—
Justin Gest, Newsweek, 20 Jan. 2025
The husband suggested her friend should help with the bill, and the wife retaliated by calling him heartless and petty.
—Tom Rogers, Newsweek, 26 Dec. 2024
Neither Helen or Sam are heartless agents, both are dealing with respective love and loss stories, and Helen’s mission is more about revenge than obeying the law and the letter of the orders she’s being given.
—Paul Tassi, Forbes, 9 Dec. 2024
From Lois and the boys’ discovery of Clark’s limp, heartless corpse to the scream Jordan released when Lex crushed that heart under his boot, there was no shortage of drama.
—Andy Swift, TVLine, 7 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for heartless
Justin Gest, Newsweek, 20 Jan. 2025
The husband suggested her friend should help with the bill, and the wife retaliated by calling him heartless and petty.
—Tom Rogers, Newsweek, 26 Dec. 2024
Neither Helen or Sam are heartless agents, both are dealing with respective love and loss stories, and Helen’s mission is more about revenge than obeying the law and the letter of the orders she’s being given.
—Paul Tassi, Forbes, 9 Dec. 2024
From Lois and the boys’ discovery of Clark’s limp, heartless corpse to the scream Jordan released when Lex crushed that heart under his boot, there was no shortage of drama.
—Andy Swift, TVLine, 7 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for heartless
Recent Examples of Synonyms for heartless
Adjective
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Wes Anderson is talking about a surreal moment that occurs early in his latest film, The Phoenician Scheme, in which the protagonist, the ruthless international tycoon Zsa-Zsa Korda (Benicio del Toro), experiences a vision of the afterlife.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
18 May 2025
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The exception nearly arrives in the closing minutes during a high-stakes scene that had the potential to transform the whole film into a ruthless satire.—
Madison Bloom,
Pitchfork,
16 May 2025
Adjective
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Scheifele’s emotional and inspirational decision to play mere hours after his father’s unexpected death — to play for his dad, to play because of his dad — ended in cruel fashion, with Scheifele helpless in the penalty box.—
Mark Lazerus,
New York Times,
18 May 2025
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At first the program seems to be benign, but Hayakawa’s film steadily reveals how the policy thrives on the cruel capitalist tenet that people are disposable.—
Lovia Gyarkye,
HollywoodReporter,
17 May 2025
Adjective
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This time, his assignment takes him to Serbia, as he is tasked with assassinating the merciless General Mile Valstoria (Peter Linka).—
Christopher Rudolph,
People.com,
10 May 2025
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That was 12 years ago, and yet the talk about him continues here, the ghosts live on, and with merciless frequency Lerro privately relives the fateful morning in which a vicious storm descended upon him with no warning.—
Miami Herald Archives,
Miami Herald,
8 May 2025
Adjective
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When local Officer and single mother Dana Cypress is unexpectedly thrown into the center of a brutal murder mystery of her own, she’s left to make sense of the chaos amidst a town gripped by fear and confusion where everyone, alive or undead, is a suspect.—
Jordan Moreau,
Variety,
12 May 2025
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Bruno Silva via first-round KO This finish was absolutely brutal.—
Brian Mazique,
Forbes.com,
11 May 2025
Adjective
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But even when locked in a tense, deadly standoff with the vicious Barbie, Moulin doesn’t break, and his courage and silence helps lead to the liberation of France, while leaving behind a new spirit of strength and resistance.—
Alex Ritman,
Variety,
10 May 2025
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Bone Tomahawk Year: 2015 Runtime: 2h 11m Director: S. Craig Zahler S. Craig Zahler has become one of the most divisive filmmakers working today after three vicious, brutal movies — Bone Tomahawk, Brawl in Cell Block 99, and Dragged Across Concrete.—
Brian Tallerico,
Vulture,
7 May 2025
Adjective
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As savage Arctic cold was getting ready to surge south across North America, vivid imagery based on data from weather models showed us what was going to happen.—
Tom Yulsman,
Discover Magazine,
27 Dec. 2022
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The 2023 grand marshal is former Arizona Democratic congresswoman Gabby Giffords, gravely wounded in a savage mass shooting in 2011 that also killed six people.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
27 Dec. 2022
Cite this Entry
“Heartless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/heartless. Accessed 25 May. 2025.
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