callousness
Americannoun
-
the quality of being insensitive, indifferent, or unsympathetic; hardness of heart.
Cutting off the unemployed from their benefits is a sad blend of callousness—a complete lack of empathy for the unfortunate—and unsound economics.
-
a hardened or thickened condition of the skin or other tissue.
Razors and shaving cause a callousness of the skin, which will encourage heavier hair growth and irritation.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of callousness
Explanation
Callousness is the characteristic of being insensitive or hardhearted about other people's feelings. Your sister's callousness is clear when she tells you that your new haircut looks awful. A callus, sometimes spelled callous, is a very hard, thick layer of skin that's usually found on the bottoms of your feet. When you act in a callous way, or exhibit your callousness, you could say you're "emotionally hardened." As early as 1670, this figurative meaning of callous was added to the literal definition. And callousness is a great word for the trait of being hardened against feeling empathy.
Vocabulary lists containing callousness
The Stranger
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Thirteen Reasons Why
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Richard Adams (1920-2016) Tribute List
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Callousness toward the lives of others will imperil the lives of those within the fold, too.
From Washington Post • Apr. 2, 2020
“If you read the Bible, there’s some true crime right there… Callousness, intrigue, craziness, it’s part of human nature. These stories are fascinating because they’re our species. Why are people making these choices?”
From The Guardian • May 26, 2019
There are 20 psychopathic traits on the Hare PCL-R, including Lack of Empathy, Guilt and Remorse, Callousness, Irresponsibility, and Impulsivity.
From Time • Apr. 18, 2014
Callousness was followed by infatuation, as even the pagans felt that whom God wills to ruin He first drives mad.
From The Expositor's Bible: The Book of Exodus by Chadwick, G. A.
Calais, road from, to Paris, 10 Callousness of modern public opinion, 48. ii.
From Our Fathers Have Told Us Part I. The Bible of Amiens by Ruskin, John
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
