- usually cal′loused
- having calluses
- thick and hardened
- lacking, or showing a lack of, pity, mercy, etc.; unfeeling
Origin of callous
Middle English from Classical Latin callosus from callum, hard skin to make or become callous
callus (sense )
adjective
Callous is defined as cruel or insensitive.
If you laugh at someone who is hurting and don't offer to help, this is an example of when you arecallous; a callous laugh.
YourDictionary definition and usage example. Copyright © 2018 by LoveToKnow Corp
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"callous." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 14 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/callous>.
APA Style
callous. (n.d.). Retrieved January 14th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/callous
callous
Webster's New World College Dictionary, Fifth Edition Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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"callous." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 14 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/callous>.
APA Style
callous. (n.d.). Retrieved January 14th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/callous
callous
adjective
- Having calluses; toughened: callous skin on the elbow.
- Emotionally hardened; unfeeling: a callous indifference to the suffering of others.
tr. & intr.v.
cal·loused, cal·lous·ing, cal·lous·esTo make or become callous.
Origin of callous
Middle English from Old French cailleux from Latin callōsus from callum hard skinRelated Forms:
- cal′lous·ly
adverb
- cal′lous·ness
noun
Usage Note: Do not confuse the adjective callous, as in Years of dealing with criminals had left her callous, with the noun callus, as in I have a callus on my thumb. Also, do not confuse the verb callous, which means “to make or become callous,” with the verb callus “to form or develop hardened tissue.”
THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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MLA Style
"callous." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 14 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/callous>.
APA Style
callous. (n.d.). Retrieved January 14th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/callous
Adjective
(comparative more callous, superlative most callous)
- Emotionally hardened; unfeeling and indifferent to the suffering/feelings of others.
- She was so callous that she could criticise a cancer patient for wearing a wig.
- Having calluses.
English Wiktionary. Available under CC-BY-SA license.
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MLA Style
"callous." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 14 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/callous>.
APA Style
callous. (n.d.). Retrieved January 14th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/callous
callous - Medical Definition
adj.
Having calluses; toughened: callous skin on the elbow.
v.
To make or become callous.
Related Forms:
- cal′lous·ly
adv.
- cal′lous·ness
n.
The American Heritage Dictionary of Medicine © 2018 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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Cite this page
MLA Style
"callous." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 14 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/callous>.
APA Style
callous. (n.d.). Retrieved January 14th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/callous
Sentence Examples
- The man who stole from the poor was a callous thief.
- That was a particularly callous act, which left her left hand painful and badly bruised.
- Stealing the coats was a callous act.
- The wounded are getting to be common, and people grow callous.
- Making it much more difficult to retire on grounds of ill-health was a rather callous way of dealing with part of the problem.
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