callous
Say it: KAL-us /ˈkaləs/ · adjective
What “callous” means
Not caring about other people's hurt feelings or suffering.
More precisely: Showing an insensitive and cruel disregard for other people's feelings.
Example: “Announcing the layoffs by group email felt callous to everyone involved.”
When to use it
When someone treats another person's distress as unimportant. A strongly critical word for hurtful behaviour or decisions.
Memory trick
A callus is hard skin: picture feelings meeting a hard, uncaring surface.
Similar words
heartless, unfeeling, cold
Where it comes from
From Latin callosus, 'hard-skinned'.
Quick check
When a friend cries over a lost pet, someone laughs and tells them to stop making a fuss. That's…
brusque or callous?
Show the answer
callous
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