callousness

[kal-uhs-nis]

noun

1. 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.

2. 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

• uncallousness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of callousness¹

callous ( def. ) + -ness ( def. )

Example Sentences

We knew this from past cross-country trips, but we felt surprised all over again—perhaps because of the callousness we perceive among people we see in the news.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

“The callousness and calculation involved in this murder was designed to brutalize their victim until his very last breath while striking fear in everyone who witnessed it.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Jobless inertia and financial strife breed a cruelty that isn’t dissimilar from the cold strike of an employer maintaining their bottom line, cutting 100 workers with the same callousness that they’d cut 1,000.

Read more on Salon

It's a sign of the callousness of the criminals but also a sign of desperation as it appears Kido is not complying.

Read more on BBC

If you weren’t turned off by the perception of callousness, the distraction of watching the level of charity pot dwindle while people thanked their mothers, spouses and co-workers was aggravating.

Read more on Salon

Related Words

• alienation 
• apathy 
• carelessness 
• disdain 
• disinterest 
• disregard 
• inattention 
• inertia 
• insensitivity www.thesaurus.com
• lack 
• negligence 
• nonchalance