adjective

callous

callous, heartless, unfeeling

He made a callous remark about her mistake.

He made a callous remark about her mistake.

Years of hard work made his hands callous.

Years of hard work made his hands callous.

a callous ((remark/action)) showing or having an insensitive and cruel disregard for others. That was a callous remark.

Synonyms: heartless, unfeeling, insensitive; Antonyms: compassionate, sensitive

From Latin 'callum', meaning 'hard skin'. The figurative sense of 'emotionally hardened' developed from this.

A 'callus' is hard skin. A 'callous' person has a 'hard heart' and is insensitive to others' feelings.

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