callous C2 Topic:People & Society US /ˈkæləs/ UK /ˈkæləs/ See IPA manual Freq #20656 Meanings 1 adj Cruel and uncaring about other people's feelings or suffering. She was so callous that she mocked a sick man to his face. 2 adj (Of skin) hardened and thickened with calluses. Years of manual work had left his hands rough and callous. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 adj · cruel and uncaring about... coldhardcruelunfeeling 2 adj · (of skin) hardened and... callousedthickened Word family Forms callousness Derived forms uncallous Related forms callouslycallousnesscallus Common collocations callous indifference Adjective + noun Etymology AI details From Latin callōsus (“hard-skinned”), from callum (“hardened skin”) + -ōsus. Topics People & Society Word Formation & Derivatives External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # callous **Type:** Word **Level:** C2 **Part of speech:** adj **IPA (US):** /ˈkæləs/ **IPA (UK):** /ˈkæləs/ **Frequency rank:** 20656 ## Meanings 1. Cruel and uncaring about other people's feelings or suffering. 2. (Of skin) hardened and thickened with calluses. ## Examples - She was so callous that she mocked a sick man to his face. - Years of manual work had left his hands rough and callous. ## Derived Forms - uncallous ## Related Forms - callously - callousness - callus ## Etymology From Latin callōsus (“hard-skinned”), from callum (“hardened skin”) + -ōsus. ## AI Etymology Callous is from Latin callōsus (“hard-skinned”), from callum (“hardened skin”) + -ōsus. In present-day use, it can mean cruel and uncaring about other people's feelings or suffering, or hardened and thickened with calluses. Derived formations include uncallous. ## Topics - People & Society - Word Formation & Derivatives markdown