callous

[kal-uh s]

See more synonyms for callous 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.

Origin of callous

1375–1425; late Middle English < Latin callōsus hard-skinned, tough, equivalent to call(um) tough skin, any hard substance + -ōsus -ous

Related formscal·lous·ly, adverbcal·lous·ness, nounun·cal·lous, adjectiveun·cal·lous·ly, adverbun·cal·lous·ness, noun

Can be confusedcallous callus

Synonyms

See more synonyms for callous on Thesaurus.com

1. hard. 2. inured, insensible, obtuse. See hard.

Antonyms

1. soft. 2. sensitive.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for callouses

Historical Examples

You, too, should have callouses on your emotions by this time.
Letters of a Dakota Divorcee
Jane Burr
But there was a sparkle in his eyes, an ease of movement and callouses on his hands.
Trading Jeff and his Dog
James Arthur Kjelgaard
They were large and shapely, but the only callouses they could show were accusingly recent.
The Real Man
Francis Lynde
On my word the good wife and mother hasn't the kinks out of her fingers yet, nor the callouses from her hands, by Jove!
The Spenders
Harry Leon Wilson
But the world, which veils the spirit and callouses the instincts, makes curiosity for most people the criterion of interest.
The Story of Opal
Opal Whiteley

British Dictionary definitions for callouses

callous

adjective

unfeeling; insensitive
(of skin) hardened and thickened

verb

pathol to make or become callous

Derived Formscallously, adverbcallousness, noun

Word Origin

C16: from Latin callōsus; 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

Word Origin and History for callouses

callous

adj.

c.1400, "hardened," in the physical sense, from Latin callosus "thick-skinned," from callus, callum "hard skin" (see callus). The figurative sense of "unfeeling" appeared in English by 1670s. Related: Callously; callousness.

callouses in Medicine

callous

(kăl′əs)

adj.

Of, relating to, or characteristic of a callus or callosity.

callous

Origin of .css-1fxfie5{font-size:22px;}@media (max-width:768px){.css-1fxfie5{font-size:18px;margin:0 10px 10px 0;word-break:break-all;word-wrap:break-word;-webkit-hyphens:auto;-moz-hyphens:auto;-ms-hyphens:auto;hyphens:auto;line-height:22px;}}callous

Synonyms

Antonyms

Examples from the Web for callouses

Historical Examples

You, too, should have callouses on your emotions by this time.

But there was a sparkle in his eyes, an ease of movement and callouses on his hands.

They were large and shapely, but the only callouses they could show were accusingly recent.

On my word the good wife and mother hasn't the kinks out of her fingers yet, nor the callouses from her hands, by Jove!

But the world, which veils the spirit and callouses the instincts, makes curiosity for most people the criterion of interest.

callous

Word Origin

Word Origin and History for callouses

callous

adj.

callous

Origin of callous