callous
gb/kˈæləs/ us/kˈæləs/
B2
Anglais
Sens
0 sens
adjective
C1
property
1
cruelly insensitive to others
not caring about other people’s feelings
Schéma d’usage :
[someone] is callous (about/toward[s]) [someone/something]
Erreur fréquente :
Learners may confuse callous (adj) with callus/callous (noun) meaning a hard area of skin.
Synonymes
heartless (Stronger and more judgmental; emphasizes lack of compassion.)
|
insensitive (Often milder; can suggest carelessness rather than cruelty.)
|
cold (Highlights emotional distance; may be less explicitly cruel.)
|
unfeeling (Emphasizes lack of emotion or sympathy.)
Antonymes
compassionate (Shows sympathy and care for others’ suffering.)
|
sensitive (Aware of and responsive to others’ feelings.)
|
caring (Shows concern and kindness toward others.)
Collocations
callous remark
|callous comments
|callous attitude
|callous behavior
|callous treatment
|callous decision
|callous response
|callous laugh
|callous joke
|callous employer
Thèmes
emotions
|relationships
|behavior
Exemples
- It was callous of him to joke about her illness.
- The report criticized the company’s callous treatment of injured workers.
- Her callous remarks upset everyone in the room.
Exemples pédagogiques
- His words were callous.
- It is callous to ignore someone in pain.
adjective
C1
property
2
desensitized; no longer affected
not affected anymore because you have seen it a lot
Schéma d’usage :
[someone] becomes/is callous to [something]
Erreur fréquente :
Often followed by to (not for): callous to violence/suffering.
Synonymes
desensitized (More neutral/psychological; stresses reduced emotional response through exposure.)
|
numb (Emphasizes lack of feeling, sometimes temporary or shock-related.)
|
hardened (Suggests toughening over time through difficult experiences.)
Antonymes
sensitive (Easily affected or emotionally responsive.)
|
responsive (Reacting actively and appropriately to what happens.)
Collocations
callous to violence
|callous to suffering
|callous to criticism
|grow callous to
|become callous to
|callous to pain
|callous to tragedy
|callous to insults
Thèmes
emotions
|society
|media
Exemples
- After years in the emergency room, she worried she was becoming callous to other people’s pain.
- We shouldn’t grow callous to images of war.
- He seemed callous to the criticism by the end of the campaign.
Exemples pédagogiques
- Don’t become callous to suffering.
adjective
B2
property
3
having thick, hard skin
having hard, thick skin from rubbing
Schéma d’usage :
callous [hands/feet/skin]
Erreur fréquente :
In American English, callused (or calloused) is often used for this meaning; callous is still correct.
Synonymes
callused (Very common alternative adjective for skin hardened by friction.)
|
hardened (More general; can describe skin or other things.)
|
rough (Less specific; may not imply thickened skin.)
Antonymes
soft (Not hardened; smooth and pliable.)
|
tender (Easily hurt or sore; not toughened.)
|
smooth (Even surface without rough, thickened patches.)
Collocations
callous hands
|callous feet
|callous skin
|callous fingertips
|callous heels
|callous palms
|badly calloused
|heavily calloused
Thèmes
health
|body
|sports
Exemples
- Guitarists often develop callous fingertips.
- His hands were callous from years of construction work.
- Running in tight shoes left her heels callous and sore.
Exemples pédagogiques
- My feet are callous from walking a lot.
Nom
C1
entity
4
patch of hardened skin
a hard, thick patch of skin
Schéma d’usage :
a callous (on [body part])
Erreur fréquente :
Callus is a more common spelling for the noun; callous is also used, especially in older or less technical writing.
Synonymes
callus (More standard and frequent noun spelling for this meaning.)
Antonymes
blister (A fluid-filled sore caused by rubbing, not thickened skin.)
Collocations
a callous on the foot
|a callous on the hand
|remove a callous
|develop a callous
|painful callous
|thick callous
|hard callous
Thèmes
health
|body
Exemples
- He had a painful callous on his big toe.
- A callous formed where the sandal strap rubbed her foot.
- The podiatrist shaved down the callous to relieve the pressure.
Exemples pédagogiques
- I have a callous on my hand.
Grammaire
Forme canonique
callous
API
GB/kˈæləs/
US/kˈæləs/
Syllabes et accentuation
cal - lous (2 syllabes)
Stress on 1st syllable (cal)
Formes du mot
Adjective
- Base: callous
Noun
- Base: callous
- Plural: calli, callous, callouses
Famille de mots
Forms
calli
noun
callouses
noun
Core family
callously
adverb C1
callousness
noun
Related words
callus
noun
Expressions
callous disregard for
1/kˈæləs dˌɪsɹɪɡˈɑɹd fɚ/
fixed phrase
formal
complete lack of care
not caring at all about something important
Exemples
- The judge cited the driver’s callous disregard for public safety.
- Residents accused the company of callous disregard for the local environment.
- His callous disregard for the rules put the whole team at risk.
callous indifference to
1/kˈæləs ɪndˈɪfɹəns tə/
fixed phrase
formal
cold lack of concern
a cold feeling of not caring
Exemples
- The article condemned the government’s callous indifference to homelessness.
- Her callous indifference to his worries ended the relationship.
- People were shocked by the company’s callous indifference to the complaints.
grow callous to
1/ɡɹˈoʊ kˈæləs tə/
fixed phrase
become less emotionally affected
to stop feeling strongly about something over time
Exemples
- It’s easy to grow callous to bad news when you hear it every day.
- Some workers grow callous to the suffering they see.
- He didn’t want to grow callous to his own mistakes.