Word: callous (adjective)

Associations

"Callous" describes a person or their behavior when they are emotionally hard, not caring about other people's feelings.

• He showed a callous attitude when he ignored the homeless man asking for help. This means he was not kind or caring.
• The callous remarks hurt her deeply. Here, "callous" means the words were harsh and without sympathy.
• After years of tough work, his hands became callous, meaning they developed hard skin. (Note: this is a different meaning but related to being hard and tough.)

Synonym: "heartless" is a synonym but stronger, meaning completely without kindness or feeling. "Callous" means more like insensitive or unfeeling, not necessarily cruel on purpose.

Substitution

You can use words like:

• insensitive (less emotional understanding)
• unfeeling (without feelings)
• hard-hearted (not kind or sympathetic)
• indifferent (not caring about something)

Each word changes the tone slightly. For example, "insensitive" focuses on not noticing feelings, "hard-hearted" means very unkind.

Deconstruction

"Callous" comes from Latin "callosus," meaning "thick-skinned." Originally, it described skin that became hard and thick. Now, it is used metaphorically for people who have become emotionally tough or unfeeling.

Inquiry

• Can you think of a situation where someone might seem callous but is actually protecting themselves emotionally?
• Have you ever felt callous about something? Why?
• How does being callous affect relationships with others?

Try to use "callous" in a sentence about feelings or behavior to practice!