heartless

[ hahrt-lis ]

/ ˈhɑrt lɪs /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR heartless ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

unfeeling; unkind; unsympathetic; harsh; cruel: heartless words; a heartless ruler.

Archaic. lacking courage or enthusiasm; spiritless; disheartened.

Nearby words

hearth, hearthside, hearthstone, heartily, heartland, heartless, heartlessly, heartrending, hearts, hearts and flowers, heartsease

Origin of heartless

1300–50; Middle English herteles, Old English heortlēas. See heart, -less

Related formsheart·less·ly, adverbheart·less·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for heartless

But the Sawyer case, combined with the heartless parsimony of all lethal outbreaks, means that the truth will out and soon.
What Ebola on a Plane Means for the U.S.|Kent Sepkowitz|August 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In California, Christie shot back: “That is not a heartless position, that is a common-sense position.”
How Chris Christie is Winning Over Hispanics|David Freedlander|November 3, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Some offenders are literally coldblooded, heartless killers.
What Made the Boston Bombers Do It|Adrian Raine|May 3, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Remember the flak that Texas Gov. Rick Perry took last cycle for calling critics of illegal immigrants “heartless”?
Ted Cruz, the Anti-Rubio Who Is Determined to Stop Immigration Reform|David Catanese|May 2, 2013|DAILY BEAST

The effortless transformation of Justin Bieber from dreamy teen heartthrob to heartless, self-centered pop star continues apace.
Justin Bieber Abandons Mally The Monkey To German Authorities|Tom Sykes|April 23, 2013|DAILY BEAST
I'd as soon die here as live much longer among those cruel and heartless people.
Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz|L. Frank Baum
He found the heartless Professor quite oblivious to Mrs. Jasher's sufferings, so taken up was he with the newly found mummy.
The Green Mummy|Fergus Hume
The intense concentration of self in the middle of such a heartless immensity, my God!
Moby Dick; or The Whale|Herman Melville
She was equally ready for their hearty kindness or their equally strong and heartless brutality.
The Red Cross Barge|Marie Belloc Lowndes
You can not deny that she is heartless and capricious; you admitted as much the other day.
Sybil Chase|Ann S. Stephens

British Dictionary definitions for heartless

heartless

/ (ˈhɑːtlɪs) /

adjective

unkind or cruel; hard-hearted

Derived Formsheartlessly, adverbheartlessness, noun

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 heartless

heartless

adj.

Old English heortleas "dispirited, dejected;" see heart + -less. In Middle English with expanded senses "lacking in courage; foolish; listless; half-hearted; sluggish." Sense of "callous, cruel" is not certainly attested before Shelley used it in 1816. Literal meaning "lacking a heart, lifeless" (mid-15c.) is rare. Related: Heartlessly; heartlessness.

heartless

adjective

RELATED CONTENT

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of heartless

Examples from the Web for heartless

British Dictionary definitions for heartless

heartless

adjective

Word Origin and History for heartless

heartless