Callous | Meaning, Definition & Examples
Callous is an adjective meaning ‘cruel’ or ‘lacking sympathy‘.
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.
Scribbr’s free Grammar Checker can help ensure you use words like ‘callous’ correctly in your writing.
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.
Dion’s feet were calloused/callused from walking the Camino de Santiago.
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’?
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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’?
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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 10 February 2025, from https://www.scribbr.co.uk/definition/callous-meaning/
