HEARTLESSLY Synonyms: 62 Similar and Opposite Words

heartlessly

adverb

as in ruthlessly

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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 heartlessly The economist was infamous in London’s philosophical circles for arguing fervently—and, many thought, heartlessly—against poor relief. — Literary Hub, 26 Oct. 2026 Victim Nyron Shaw’s father said the driver who mowed his son down last year in Ocean Hill a day before Independence Day should face the maximum penalty for allegedly driving twice the speed limit and heartlessly taking off, leaving his son to die. — Nicholas Williams, New York Daily News, 8 Apr. 2026 In the process, Joel heartlessly killed some innocent people, including medical professionals. — EW.com, 26 Aug. 2025 There is a troubling suggestion of abuse, implying that Jack might have been ill-treated by his mom (and saved by Helen), rather than heartlessly abandoned. — Tomris Laffly, Variety, 14 Aug. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for heartlessly

Adverb

This notorious commercial entity, a precursor of the global corporations of today and big enough to command its own army, ruthlessly exploited foreign resources, human and material.

— Rebecca Mead, New Yorker, 26 Oct. 2026
The garment industry is ruthlessly competitive and manufacturers fear that any rise in costs or supply disruption could see orders shift to rival Vietnam, Cambodia, or Pakistan.

— Charlie Campbell, Time, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of ruthlessly

Adverb

But at least for now, the blue tsunami has forced the man who mercilessly bullied his way through the last two years to do what all bullies do when confronted with a united opposition.

— Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 6 Nov. 2026
Lifelong Republicans who didn’t fall in line were mercilessly attacked.

— Rachel Monroe, New Yorker, 4 Nov. 2026

Definition of mercilessly

Adverb

Along with that oh-so-sweet commercial success came rounds of discourse that callously dissected her racial identity, her relationship with her Blackness, and the winding history of genre in the context of American music.

— Kyle Denis, Billboard, 21 Oct. 2026
While Boeing callously deflects blame for their negligence, a family of one victim finds strength in gathering collective mourning.

— Matthew Carey, Deadline, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of callously

Adverb

Walter’s ties to immigrant detention resulted in protests from members of the Los Angeles community, including many Dodgers fans, who felt that ICE inhumanely targeted them.

— Peter Chawaga, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026
In May 2025, the zoo posted a video of authorities taking a giraffe and accused them of seizing it inhumanely.

— Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 22 June 2026

Definition of inhumanely

Adverb

Residents were treated carelessly, disrespectfully, insensitively.

— Carol Marbin Miller, Miami Herald, 2 Apr. 2026
In this volatile environment, comments that appear to minimize or frame the shooting insensitively—like Matt Gutman's—can quickly become career-ending.

— Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Sep. 2025

Definition of insensitively

Adverb

But his voice tyrannically resounds with sadistic orders and conservative cultural commentary during the second-act flashback scene, in which a fateful day on the set of the show changes the lives of Ronika and Blair.

— Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 23 Sep. 2026
Gulliver’s third voyage takes him to the flying island of Laputa, which rules tyrannically over several territories situated below.

— Dónal Gill, The Dial, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of tyrannically

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“Heartlessly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/heartlessly. Accessed 10 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of heartlessly

adverb

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