hardhearted

American  

[hahrd-hahr-tid] / ˈhɑrdˈhɑr tɪd /

adjective

1. unfeeling; unmerciful; pitiless.

   Synonyms:

   unforgiving, mean, merciless, heartless

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hardhearted British  

/ ˌhɑːdˈhɑːtɪd /

adjective

1. unkind or intolerant

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Other Word Forms

• hardheartedly adverb
• hardheartedness noun

Etymology

Origin of hardhearted

1175–1225; Middle English hardherted. See hard, hearted ( def. )

Example Sentences

The word "cruel" originates from the Latin word crudelis, which is defined as "hardhearted, bloodthirsty, unmerciful and inhuman."

From Salon • Dec. 12, 2023

Davis, he added, “offers a dark, almost unrelievedly oppressive picture of life in a tough, hardhearted city.”

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 25, 2022

The novel’s omniscient narrator tells us that, early on, the hardhearted Nellie “supposed she should come to terms with the concept of ‘fun.’

From Washington Post • Oct. 4, 2022

He refers to them together as “children,” which is factually true, but also emphasizes the point that surviving in a hardhearted environment — even thinking of survival — requires a certain innocence.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 23, 2021

And the living son, the child, Roy, was headlong already, and hardhearted: he lay at home, silent now, and bitter against his father, a bandage on his forehead.

From "Go Tell It on the Mountain" by James Baldwin