definitions

callous

[ kal-uhs ]
/ ˈkæl əs /
||
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.

RELATED WORDS

consolidate, nerve, set, buttress, thicken, strengthen, stiffen, freeze, amalgamate, reinforce, fortify, close, toughen, petrify, jell, compact, bake, fix, callous, acclimatize

Nearby words

callosal gyrus, callose, callosity, callot, callot, jacques, callous, calloused, callously, callow, calloway, calloway, cab

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 forms
Can be confusedcallous callus
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for callouses

British Dictionary definitions for callouses

callous

/ (ˈkæləs) /

adjective

unfeeling; insensitive
(of skin) hardened and thickened

verb

pathol to make or become callous
Derived Formscallously, adverbcallousness, noun

Word Origin for callous

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.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper

Medicine definitions for callouses

callous

[ kăl′əs ]

adj.

Of, relating to, or characteristic of a callus or callosity.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.