as in ruthless
having or showing a lack of sympathy or tender feelings
the callous comment "It's just a fish," when the boy's pet died, made him cry
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of callous
Some even condemned them as callous toward civilian suffering.
—
Nazanin Boniadi, Time, 11 Mar. 2026
This is the result of years of callous mismanagement and broken promises.
—Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 9 Feb. 2026
But German timidity before Israel’s moral blackmail only partly explains Habermas’s callous attitude toward the country’s Palestinian victims.
—Sean Williams, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
As the only female taxi driver working her corner of Nigeria’s heaving metropolis, Lady is accustomed to underestimation by a callous patriarchy, and staunchly resists the gender normatives implied by her name.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 23 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for callous
Nazanin Boniadi, Time, 11 Mar. 2026
This is the result of years of callous mismanagement and broken promises.
—Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 9 Feb. 2026
But German timidity before Israel’s moral blackmail only partly explains Habermas’s callous attitude toward the country’s Palestinian victims.
—Sean Williams, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
As the only female taxi driver working her corner of Nigeria’s heaving metropolis, Lady is accustomed to underestimation by a callous patriarchy, and staunchly resists the gender normatives implied by her name.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 23 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for callous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for callous
Adjective
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Reduce Wasted Spend to Fund Your Next Project Founders are ruthless about cutting overhead, yet many creatives let thousands of dollars leak away on essential work expenses like software subscriptions, tech and supplies.—
Rhett Power,
Rolling Stone,
6 May 2026
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Stéphane de Groodt also appears, while Jochen Hägele plays the ruthless Nazi officer Dieter Frank.—
Elsa Keslassy,
Variety,
4 May 2026
Adjective
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Development in the Dotte 🪠 Fish or human feces often wash up in KCK homes during those merciless spring rains.—
Sofi Zeman,
Kansas City Star,
30 Apr. 2026
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Fleeing into the desert with her father, she is hunted by a merciless army and forced to trust a legendary bandit (Mackie) with secrets of his own.—
Mark Meszoros,
Twin Cities,
25 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
In a vast stony tract of desert a three-hour drive south of Cairo, tucked between jagged black mountains and the glittering Gulf of Suez, a group of Chinese engineers is quietly rewiring Egypt’s energy strategy.—
Tim McDonnell,
semafor.com,
14 Apr. 2026
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Hikers can traverse the stony beds of Cliffy Creek and snap photos of the park's four iconic waterfalls.—
Joie Probst,
Midwest Living,
10 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Callous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/callous. Accessed 8 May. 2026.
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