Callous | Meaning, Definition & Examples

Published on 7 September 2022 by Eoghan Ryan. Revised on 7 November 2024.

Callous is an adjective meaning ‘cruel’ or ‘lacking sympathy‘.

Examples: Callous in a sentence

In a callous act, the boss fired Jerome in front of his coworkers.

I don’t mean to be callous, but I’m not loaning you any more money.

Zadie is not usually callous; she was just having a bad day.

The doctor seemed callous when he delivered the bad news.

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Calloused or callused
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Frequently asked questions

Calloused or callused

The adjective calloused (with an ‘o’) describes an area of skin that has been hardened by friction. While calloused is the standard spelling, callused (no ‘o’) is an accepted variant.

Examples: Calloused vs. callused

Annette’s fingers were calloused/callused from playing guitar.

Dion’s feet were calloused/callused from walking the Camino de Santiago.

Note

The area of hardened skin itself is always called a callus (no ‘o’). Unlike callous (an adjective), callus is a noun.

Even though callused and calloused are interchangeable, callus and callous are not. So it would be incorrect to describe someone as ‘callus’ or to say that you had ‘a callous’.

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Frequently asked questions

What is a synonym for ‘callous’?: Some synonyms for ‘callous’ include:

Brutal

Cruel

Hard

Harsh

Heartless

Inhuman

Insensitive

Unsympathetic

Scribbr’s Paraphraser can help you find even more synonyms for words like ‘callous’.
What is an antonym of ‘callous’?: Some antonyms (opposites) for ‘callous’ include:

Compassionate

Humane

Kind

Sensitive

Sympathetic

Tender

Understanding

Warm

Warmhearted

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Ryan, E. (2024, November 07). Callous | Meaning, Definition & Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved 12 December 2024, from https://www.scribbr.co.uk/definition/callous-meaning/

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Eoghan Ryan

Eoghan has a lot of experience with theses and dissertations at bachelor's, MA, and PhD level. He has taught university English courses, helping students to improve their research and writing.