Standard Lemma guide

callousness

noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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  • CMU ARPABET: K AE1 L AH0 S N AH0 S Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The quality of being callous; emotional hardheartedness or indifference.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable, usually

Examples

  • Fred was known for his callousness; local panhandlers had long since learned not to try their sob stories on him.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: callosity, hardheartedness, insensitivity

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

The quality of having calluses.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable, usually

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

devoid of passion or feeling; hardheartedness

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: unfeelingness, callosity, hardness, insensibility

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: insensitivity, insensitiveness

Narrower terms: dullness

History

Etymology

Etymology tree English callous Proto-Germanic *-inōną Proto-Indo-European *-dyé- Proto-Germanic *-atjaną Proto-Indo-European *-tus Proto-Germanic *-þuz Proto-Germanic *-assuz Proto-Germanic *-inassuz Proto-West Germanic *-nassī Old English -nes Middle English -nesse English -ness English callousness From callous + -ness.

Across languages

Translations

29 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Dutch: ongevoeligheid — quality of being callous; emotional hardheartedness or indifference
  • Finnish: kylmäverisyys — quality of being callous; emotional hardheartedness or indifference
  • Finnish: kylmäsydämisyys — quality of being callous; emotional hardheartedness or indifference
  • French: insensibilité — quality of being callous; emotional hardheartedness or indifference
  • Galician: insensibilidade — quality of being callous; emotional hardheartedness or indifference
  • Galician: desconsideración — quality of being callous; emotional hardheartedness or indifference
  • Galician: indiferenza — quality of being callous; emotional hardheartedness or indifference
  • Galician: desdén — quality of being callous; emotional hardheartedness or indifference
  • German: Gefühllosigkeit — quality of being callous; emotional hardheartedness or indifference
  • German: Unempfindlichkeit — quality of being callous; emotional hardheartedness or indifference
  • German: Abgebrühtheit — quality of being callous; emotional hardheartedness or indifference
  • German: Herzlosigkeit — quality of being callous; emotional hardheartedness or indifference
  • German: Kaltschnäuzigkeit — quality of being callous; emotional hardheartedness or indifference
  • Gothic: 𐌳𐌰𐌿𐌱𐌴𐌹 (daubei) — quality of being callous; emotional hardheartedness or indifference
  • Gothic: 𐌳𐌰𐌿𐌱𐌹𐌸𐌰 (daubiþa) — quality of being callous; emotional hardheartedness or indifference
  • Gothic: 𐌷𐌰𐍂𐌳𐌿𐌷𐌰𐌹𐍂𐍄𐌴𐌹 (harduhairtei) — quality of being callous; emotional hardheartedness or indifference
  • Ancient Greek: πώρωσις (pṓrōsis) — quality of being callous; emotional hardheartedness or indifference
  • Hindi: संवेदनहीनता (samvednahīntā) — quality of being callous; emotional hardheartedness or indifference
  • Hindi: उदासीनता (udāsīntā) — quality of being callous; emotional hardheartedness or indifference
  • Hindi: अनुरागहीनता (anurāghīntā) — quality of being callous; emotional hardheartedness or indifference
  • Irish: cruachroíocht — quality of being callous; emotional hardheartedness or indifference
  • Polish: bezduszność — quality of being callous; emotional hardheartedness or indifference
  • Polish: znieczulica — quality of being callous; emotional hardheartedness or indifference
  • Russian: бесчу́вственность (besčúvstvennostʹ) — quality of being callous; emotional hardheartedness or indifference
  • Turkish: katılık — quality of being callous; emotional hardheartedness or indifference
  • Finnish: känsäisyys — quality of having calluses
  • German: Schwieligkeit — quality of having calluses
  • Spanish: callosidad — quality of having calluses
  • Turkish: nasırlılık — quality of having calluses