Callous
/ˈkæləs/
adjectivenounB2
Definition
As an adjective, callous means showing no kindness or sympathy; being emotionally hard or unfeeling toward others. As a noun, it means a thick, hard part of skin that forms to protect an area from pressure or friction, often on hands or feet.
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See It in Action
Showing no sympathy or kindness; emotionally hard
- •He was callous toward the homeless people, ignoring their needs.
- •The manager’s callous attitude made the workers feel unimportant.
- •She became callous after many difficult experiences and stopped trusting others.
A hard, thick part of skin that forms to protect an area
- •After many days of walking, he developed a callous on his heel.
- •Guitar players often have callouses on their fingers from pressing the strings.
- •The callous on her palm made it easier to carry heavy tools.
Make It Stick
- ✓Think of 'callous' like 'hard,' but for feelings—it means someone’s heart or mind is hard and not soft or kind
- ✓Picture dry, rough skin on your hand after working a lot, that tough area is a callous on the skin
- ✓It's the feeling when someone does not care if others are hurt or sad, like they have a wall around their emotions
- ✓Sounds like 'CALL-us' → imagine someone calling you but their voice sounds cold and hard, no warmth or care
- ✓Think of a character in stories who ignores others’ pain and acts like their feelings don’t matter
- ✓As skin, NOT like soft skin that feels smooth; callous skin is rough and thick to protect the body
- ✓As feelings, NOT like 'kind' or 'caring' which are soft and warm; callous is cold and hard inside
- ✓NOT like 'careless' (not careful), callous means not caring about feelings, a stronger emotional hardness
Try Other Words
- •Heartless: showing no kindness or sympathy (Use when talking about extreme emotional coldness)
- •Tough: physically strong or emotionally strong (Use when talking about skin or a person who can handle difficult things)
- •Insensitive: not noticing or caring about others’ feelings (Use when the lack of care is about feelings but less strong than callous)
Unboxing
- •Word parts: No clear prefix or suffix; root word 'callous'
- •Etymology: From Latin 'callosus,' meaning 'thick-skinned' or 'hardened'
- •Historical development: Originally used to describe thick skin, later used metaphorically for emotional hardness
- •Modern usage: Used both for physical skin condition and to describe people who are emotionally cold or unkind
Reflect & Connect
•Can someone become callous without meaning to? How might this happen?
•How does being callous affect relationships with others?
Fill in the blanks
1.He showed a callous ___ toward the suffering of others, refusing to help.
2.After working with tools for years, she had a thick callous ___ on her hands.
3.Unlike a caring person, a callous individual often ignores ___ feelings.
4.The teacher’s callous ___ made students feel unimportant and sad.
5.Callous skin forms because of repeated ___ or pressure on the same spot.
6.When someone is callous, they usually do not feel ___ for others’ pain.
7.The difference between callous and sensitive people is how much they ___ about others.