callous

[ kal-uhs ]

adjective

1. made hard; hardened.

   Synonyms: hard

   Antonyms: soft

2. insensitive; indifferent; unsympathetic:

   They have a callous attitude toward the sufferings of others.

   Synonyms: obtuse, insensible

   Antonyms: sensitive

3. having a callus; indurated, as parts of the skin exposed to friction.

verb (used with or without object)

1. to make or become hard or callous.

callous

/ ˈkæləs /

adjective

1. unfeeling; insensitive
2. (of skin) hardened and thickened

verb

1. pathol to make or become callous

Derived Forms

• ˈcallousness, noun
• ˈcallously, adverb

Other Words From

• cal·lous·ly adverb
• cal·lous·ness noun
• un·cal·lous adjective
• un·cal·lous·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of callous¹

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English from Latin callōsus “hard-skinned, tough,” equivalent to call(um) “tough skin, any hard substance” + -ōsus -ous

Word History and Origins

Origin of callous¹

C16: from Latin callōsus; see callus

Synonym Study

See hard.

Example Sentences

A visit to a British museum accompanied by a callous curator ends badly when Sayet learns that the building’s inventory includes numerous indigenous skulls stored in unlabeled boxes.

From Washington Blade

The Israeli government has attempted to use social media to bolster its support, too, but in a particularly callous way.

From Time

Prosecutors who opposed the release wrote in a court filing that the “cold and callous nature of this crime reflects the defendant’s depravity.”

From Washington Post

At the same time, the cops who are called on to keep order frequently behave like a callous, occupying force, and, all too often, the money corrupts them, too.

From Washington Post

The singer’s callous responses to autistic people’s concerns on Twitter did nothing to increase my trust in her ability to treat us like full-fledged human beings onscreen.

From Time

Is this the picture of a callous culture that chews these young men up and spits them out?

From The Daily Beast

The deal, critics charge, was at best a bad one and at worst, a callous political move.

From The Daily Beast

The problem is that, when exposed to the political limelight, Carson's “gifted hands” have become careless, callous.

From The Daily Beast

Perhaps the most callous Israeli response, however, came from economy minister Naftali Bennett.

From The Daily Beast

With each passing disaster our skin grows a little more callous, our “thoughts and prayers” more cynical.

From The Daily Beast

The callous Justice passed on to the next stye, immersed in thought.

From Project Gutenberg

It isn't in the average man to be utterly callous to the suffering of another, even if that other richly deserves his pain.

From Project Gutenberg

But where the trade is once admitted, no wonder the heart becomes callous to the individual sufferings of the slaves.

From Project Gutenberg

The brutal callous indifference of the whole thing was most strongly marked.

From Project Gutenberg

The Hindoo devotee is exceedingly tender of the lives of animals, while he is often callous to human suffering.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• apathetic
• careless
• cold-blooded
• heartless
• indifferent
• insensitive
• uncaring
• unsympathetic