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callous

[ kal-uhs ]
/ ˈkél əs /
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See synonyms for: callous / calloused / callouses / callousing on Thesaurus.com

adjective
made hard; hardened.
insensitive; indifferent; unsympathetic: They have a callous attitude toward the sufferings of others.
having a callus; indurated, as parts of the skin exposed to friction.
verb (used with or without object)
to make or become hard or callous.
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Origin of callous

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

synonym study for callous

2. See hard.

OTHER WORDS FROM callous

cal·lous·ly, adverbcal·lous·ness, nounun·cal·lous, adjectiveun·cal·lous·ly, adverb

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH callous

callous , callus
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use callous in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for callous

callous
/ (ˈkéləs) /

adjective
unfeeling; insensitive
(of skin) hardened and thickened
verb
pathol to make or become callous

Derived forms of callous

callously, adverbcallousness, noun

Word Origin for callous

C16: from Latin callƍsus; see callus
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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