US /ˈkæləs/ UK /ˈkæləs/
adj noun verb Freq #20656

Meanings

  1. 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. 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

Etymology

From Latin callōsus (“hard-skinned”), from callum (“hardened skin”) + -ōsus.

Topics

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