adjective

callous

/ˈkæləs/ · say it: KAL·us

showing no sympathy for others

In Personality & Character

emotionally hardened; unfeeling

In Emotions & Moods

In more detail

1. (adjective) emotionally hardened; not feeling sympathy or concern for others

2. (adjective) (of skin) thick and hard, usually from repeated rubbing or pressure

Examples

1. The callous treatment of prisoners sparked international outrage.
2. After years of manual labor, his hands became callous and rough.

How to use callous

In its emotional sense, callous describes someone who is deliberately or habitually indifferent to others' suffering; it implies moral hardness rather than mere emotional reserve. The skin sense is less common in modern usage but remains standard in medical and physical contexts. Callous is stronger and more judgmental than cold or detached.

Common phrases

callous disregard
callous indifference
callous attitude
callous remark
callous hands
callous treatment

Synonyms

hard-hearted · unfeeling · insensitive · cold · unsympathetic

Opposites

compassionate · sympathetic · tender-hearted

Word family

callously (adverb) · callousness (noun)

A common mistake

Learners sometimes confuse callous (unfeeling) with callus (a thickened area of skin), which is spelled differently and is a noun.

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