callous

The word “callous” has 2 syllables: cal-lous

It's pronounced as /ˈkæləs/


What is synonym and antonym for callous?

In the thesaurus, “callous” has 107 synonyms and 38 antonyms.

Here are synonyms and antonyms for callous along with examples of usage in sentences.


Synonyms for callous

  • abusive
  • acrimonious
  • affectless
  • apathetic
  • austere
  • barbarous
  • bestial
  • blind to
  • boorish
  • brutal
  • brutish
  • careless
  • case-hardened
  • cold
  • cold-blooded
  • compassionless
  • cruel
  • deaf to
  • desensitized
  • disagreeable
  • evil-minded
  • frosty
  • grim
  • hard
  • hard-bitten
  • hard-boiled
  • hard-hearted
  • hardened
  • hardhearted
  • harsh
  • hateful
  • heartless
  • heavy-handed
  • heedless
  • ill-natured
  • ill-tempered
  • impassive
  • impenitent
  • inconsiderate
  • indifferent
  • indurate
  • indurated
  • inflexible
  • inhuman
  • inhumane
  • insensate
  • insensible
  • insensitive
  • insentient
  • inured
  • ironfisted
  • ironhanded
  • ironhearted
  • jackbooted
  • knock-down-and-drag-out
  • malevolent
  • malicious
  • mean
  • merciless
  • obdurate
  • oppressive
  • pachydermatous
  • pitiless
  • rancorous
  • remorseless
  • rough
  • rough-and-tumble
  • ruthless
  • savage
  • severe
  • slash-and-burn
  • sledgehammer
  • soulless
  • spiritless
  • spiteful
  • stern
  • stiff
  • stoney
  • stony
  • stonyhearted
  • stubborn
  • surly
  • take-no-prisoners
  • thick-skinned
  • thoughtless
  • torpid
  • tough
  • toughened
  • unaffected
  • unbending
  • uncaring
  • uncharitable
  • uncompassionate
  • unconcerned
  • unfeeling
  • unfriendly
  • ungentle
  • unimpressionable
  • unloving
  • unmerciful
  • unresponsive
  • unsparing
  • unsusceptible
  • unsympathetic
  • unthinking
  • vicious
  • virulent

Antonyms for callous

  • affectionate
  • benevolent
  • benignant
  • caring
  • charitable
  • clement
  • compassionate
  • concerned
  • cordial
  • feeling
  • fond
  • friendly
  • gentle
  • good-natured
  • good-tempered
  • gracious
  • humane
  • indulgent
  • interested
  • kind
  • kindhearted
  • kindly
  • lenient
  • loving
  • merciful
  • mild
  • mindful
  • nice
  • responsive
  • sensitive
  • softhearted
  • sympathetic
  • tender
  • tenderhearted
  • tolerant
  • understanding
  • warm
  • warmhearted

Meanings of callous

  • adjective
    1. Emotionally hardened; unfeeling and indifferent to the suffering/feelings of others.
    2. Having calluses.
  • noun
    1. A hardened area of the skin (especially on the foot or hand) caused by repeated friction, wear or use.
    2. The material of repair in fractures of bone; a substance exuded at the site of fracture, which is at first soft or cartilaginous in consistency, but is ultimately converted into true bone and unites the fragments into a single piece.
    3. The new formation over the end of a cutting, before it puts out rootlets.
    4. A shining area on the frons of many species of Tabanomorpha (horse flies and relatives).

Example Sentences

  • His callous disregard for others' feelings made him unpopular among his peers.
  • The dictator's callous actions resulted in widespread suffering among the population.
  • She was shocked by the callous treatment she received from her supposed friends.
  • The company's callous decision to lay off workers without notice caused outrage in the community.
  • Despite witnessing the accident, the bystander remained callous and refused to offer assistance.

On this page you'll find 145 synonyms, antonyms, or another words to callous, such as: abusive, acrimonious, affectionate, affectless, apathetic, austere, barbarous.

Make sure to choose synonyms and antonyms that are appropriate for the context of the sentence.

Related Words

abusively

  • aggressively
  • assertively
  • brutally
  • brutishly
  • callously
  • cold-bloodedly
  • decidedly
  • determinedly
  • firmly
  • grimly
  • gruffly
  • hard
  • hard-heartedly
  • hardly
  • harshly
  • heartlessly
  • ill
  • inhumanely
  • inhumanly
  • insensately
  • insensitively
  • mercilessly
  • obdurately
  • oppressively
  • pitilessly
  • resolutely
  • roughly
  • ruthlessly
  • savagely
  • severely
  • sternly
  • stiffly
  • strongly
  • toughly
  • tyrannically
  • uncharitably
  • unfeelingly
  • unmercifully
  • unsparingly
  • viciously

balefully

caddishly

calcify

  • acclimate
  • acclimatize
  • amalgamate
  • anneal
  • bake
  • brace
  • buttress
  • cake
  • callous
  • callus
  • case-harden
  • caseharden
  • cement
  • clarify
  • close
  • clot
  • coagulate
  • compact
  • concrete
  • congeal
  • consolidate
  • contract
  • crystalize
  • crystallize
  • curdle
  • densify
  • dry
  • encrust
  • firm
  • fix
  • fortify
  • fossilize
  • freeze
  • gel
  • gelate
  • gelatinize
  • gird
  • harden
  • incrust
  • indurate
  • jell
  • jelly
  • lapidify
  • mineralize
  • nerve
  • ossify
  • petrify
  • precipitate
  • press
  • reinforce
  • rigidify
  • season
  • set
  • settle
  • solidify
  • starch
  • steel
  • stiffen
  • strengthen
  • temper
  • thicken
  • toughen
  • turn to stone
  • vitrify

calculatedly

  • advisedly
  • apurpose
  • by design
  • callously
  • coldheartedly
  • coldly
  • consciously
  • cruelly
  • deliberately
  • designedly
  • dispassionately
  • explicitly
  • expressly
  • heartlessly
  • indifferently
  • intentionally
  • knowingly
  • on purpose
  • premeditatedly
  • prepensely
  • purposedly
  • purposefully
  • purposely
  • purposively
  • ruthlessly
  • studiedly
  • studiously
  • unemotionally
  • unfeelingly
  • voluntarily
  • willfully
  • willingly
  • with full intent
  • with intent
  • wittingly

Browse the Thesaurus