heartless
Americanadjective
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unfeeling; unkind; unsympathetic; harsh; cruel.
heartless words; a heartless ruler.
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Archaic. lacking courage or enthusiasm; spiritless; disheartened.
adjective
Other Word Forms
- heartlessly adverb
- heartlessness noun
Etymology
Origin of heartless
1300–50; Middle English herteles, Old English heortlēas. See heart, -less
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
While that may seem cruel and heartless to most, I knew it was just protocol.
From Literature
I wanted to say he was a lying, cheating, despicable, heartless villain.
From Literature
What an interesting conclusion, considering her refusal to take accountability for other mistakes, including the show’s heartless depiction of Sullivan’s wounding.
From Salon
The barber chair, the locus of Sweeney’s revenge on the heartless cruelty of a Victorian London that wrecked his life, isn’t the elaborate contraption of other productions.
From Los Angeles Times
“It’s just a pretty heartless place and always has been,” says Ebert.
From Los Angeles Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
