callous

1 of 2

adjective

cal·​lous ˈka-ləs 

1

a

: being hardened and thickened

b

: having calluses

callous hands

2

a

: feeling no emotion

b

: feeling or showing no sympathy for others : hard-hearted

a callous indifference to suffering

callously adverb

callousness noun

callous

2 of 2

verb

cal·​lous ˈka-ləs 

calloused; callousing; callouses

transitive verb

: to make callous

hands calloused by hard manual labor

Did you know?

A callus is a hard, thickened area of skin that develops usually from friction or irritation over time. Such a hardened area often leaves one less sensitive to the touch, so it's no surprise that the adjective callous, in addition to describing skin that is hard and thick, can also be used as a synonym for harsh or insensitive. Both callus and callous come via Middle English from Latin. The figurative sense of callous entered English almost 300 years after the literal sense, and Robert Louis Stevenson used it aptly when he wrote in Treasure Island "But, indeed, from what I saw, all these buccaneers were as callous as the sea they sailed on."

Synonyms

Adjective

• affectless
• case-hardened
• cold-blooded
• compassionless
• desensitized
• hard
• hard-boiled
• hard-hearted
• heartless
• indurate
• inhuman
• inhumane
• insensate
• insensitive
• ironhearted
• merciless
• obdurate
• pachydermatous
• pitiless
• remorseless
• ruthless
• slash-and-burn
• soulless
• stony
• stoney
• stonyhearted
• take-no-prisoners
• thick-skinned
• uncharitable
• unfeeling
• unmerciful
• unsparing
• unsympathetic

Examples of callous in a Sentence

Adjective

… under Orton's own companionable charm there was something hard and callous, the result no doubt of a loveless upbringing … —Benedict Nightingale, New York Times Book Review, 10 May 1987

… the scenes involving the snotty, callous dean ring false right from the start … —Pauline Kael, New Yorker, 8 Apr. 1985

Patient, cold and callous, our hands wrapped in socks, we waited to snowball the cats. —Dylan Thomas, "A Child's Christmas in Wales," in Quite Early One Morning,  1954

a selfish and callous young man

a callous refusal to help the poor

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Adult human beings—even the callous, tone-deaf, emotionally immature ones—demonstrate an understanding of death that is remarkable in its sophistication. —Kathryn Schulz, The New Yorker, 28 Oct. 2024

Prosecutors painted a picture of callous enablement that eventually ended in Perry’s tragic demise. —Victoria Bekiempis, Vulture, 6 Sep. 2024

Verb

Susanne said his paws were calloused, dry and cracked. —Anthony Robledo, USA TODAY, 20 Sep. 2024

Now, the fracture has healed but calloused, making flight difficult, the center said. —Tony Roberts, Baltimore Sun, 18 June 2024

Word History

Etymology

Adjective and Verb

Middle English, from Latin callosus, from callum, callus callous skin

First Known Use

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1769, in the meaning defined above

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Kids Definition

callous

adjective

cal·​lous

ˈkal-əs

1

a

: being hardened and thickened

b

: having calluses

callous hands

2

: feeling or showing no sympathy for others : unfeeling

a callous refusal to help the poor

callously adverb

callousness noun

Medical Definition

callous

adjective

cal·​lous ˈkal-əs 

1

: being hardened and thickened

2

: having calluses