callous

[kal-uhs]

adjective

1. made hard; hardened.

   Synonyms: hard
   Antonyms: soft

2. insensitive; indifferent; unsympathetic.

   They have a callous attitude toward the sufferings of others.

   Synonyms: obtuse, insensible
   Antonyms: sensitive

3. having a callus; indurated, as parts of the skin exposed to friction.

verb (used with or without object)

1. to make or become hard or callous.

callous

/ ˈkæləs /

adjective

1. unfeeling; insensitive

2. (of skin) hardened and thickened

verb

1. pathol to make or become callous

Other Word Forms

• callously adverb
• callousness noun
• uncallous adjective
• uncallously adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of callous¹

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English from Latin callōsus “hard-skinned, tough,” equivalent to call(um) “tough skin, any hard substance” + -ōsus -ous

Word History and Origins

Origin of callous¹

C16: from Latin callōsus; see _callus

Synonym Study

See hard.

Example Sentences

After the murders, Menendez said, the spending sprees between he and his brother, including buying a Rolex, were an “incredibly callous act.”

From Los Angeles Times

She opens her hands up to me, revealing Band-Aids and well-formed callouses.

From Los Angeles Times

With searing yet quiet familiarity, Victor derides the way trauma is handled with callous frigidity.

From Salon

And it seems the only lesson we’ve learned is that the government’s handling of our next preventable tragedy is likely to be a lot worse because our callous partisanship willed it to be so.

From Salon

Often, the man’s callous irresponsibility would trigger a response that would snowball into something “unhinged,” intentionally augmented for dramatic effect.

From Salon

Related Words

• apathetic 
• careless 
• cold-blooded 
• heartless 
• indifferent 
• insensitive 
• uncaring www.thesaurus.com
• unsympathetic