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YOUR VOCABULARY, ONE WORD AT A TIME

callous

Adjective

IPA /ˈkæləs/

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Meaning in plain English

Showing little concern for another person's pain, feelings or difficulties.

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Pronunciation

callous/ˈkæləs/

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  1. A friend describes a painful experience

  2. The listener makes an unkind joke

  3. The friend's distress is ignored

A callous reaction shows little concern for another person's suffering.

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Examples in context

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  1. His callous joke upset the friend who had just lost her job.
  2. The staff criticised the callous way the redundancies were announced.

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His ________ joke upset the friend who had just lost her job.
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callous — Showing little concern for another person's pain, feelings or difficulties.

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Showing little concern for another person's pain, feelings or difficulties.

Compare: His callous joke upset the friend who had just lost her job.

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Word origin

From Latin callosus, meaning hard-skinned.

Did you know?

Callous can describe a person, an attitude, an act or a remark.

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callous

/ˈkæləs/ (Adjective)

“This is a strongly negative adjective. A callous response ignores someone's suffering; it is more than merely brief.”

englishskillstudio.com