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callous

"Callous" is a word with two related meanings one literal (about skin) and one figurative (about personality). The figurative sense is by far the more common one you'll encounter in everyday English.

1adjectivefigurativeemotionally cold or uncaring

When someone is callous, they show no sympathy or concern for other people's feelings or suffering. Imagine a person who sees someone crying and just shrugs and walks away that's a callous reaction. It suggests a kind of hardness on the inside, like nothing touches them emotionally.

everyday language, describing personality or behavior · Modern, widely used · figurative

It was callous of him to laugh at her mistake in front of everyone.

The manager's callous response to the workers' complaints shocked the whole team.

She seemed callous, but deep down she was just afraid of showing emotion.

2adjectivehardened skin

In a very literal, physical sense, callous describes skin that has become thick and hard usually because of repeated rubbing or pressure. A guitarist's fingertips or a carpenter's hands often become callous over time. This is the original meaning of the word, and it gave rise to the figurative sense above.

medicine, everyday language · Used in both older and modern texts, but less common in conversation

After years of manual labor, his hands were rough and callous.

Her callous feet were a sign of how much she walked every day.

Content generated by AI — may contain inaccuracies