heartless

[ hahrt-lis ]

adjective

1. unfeeling; unkind; unsympathetic; harsh; cruel:

   heartless words; a heartless ruler.

2. Archaic. lacking courage or enthusiasm; spiritless; disheartened.

heartless

/ ˈhɑːtlɪs /

adjective

1. unkind or cruel; hard-hearted

Derived Forms

• ˈheartlessly, adverb
• ˈheartlessness, noun

Other Words From

• heartless·ly adverb
• heartless·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of heartless¹

1300–50; Middle English herteles, Old English heortlēas. See heart, -less

Example Sentences

A widespread uprooting of families and innocents as a heedless and heartless deportation policy drives a scythe through immigrant communities.

From Los Angeles Times

I imagine that when you imagine a TV critic, you picture some hard-boiled, crusty, even heartless type.

From Los Angeles Times

Even a large unofficial "Wicked" update account clocked in on the mess, writing in a post, "Y'all always talk about mental health and how sad it is when something happens to someone, but then continue to bully and harass celebrities on things they’ve already stated make them feel uncomfortable. Y'all are heartless and performative."

From Salon

“You feel like you’re heartless for evicting them, but at the same time people are afraid — the displaced can be in the same home, same building, same neighborhood,” he said, adding that the municipality was working with security services to vet newcomers and ensure they have no links to Hezbollah.

From Los Angeles Times

The employee alleged that when the “Heartless” rapper began to let go of much of Yeezy’s leadership team in or around May 2024, Ye also got titanium teeth and consumed nitrous oxide, which the employee “speculates led to some of the erratic behavior,” the complaint said.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• brutal
• callous
• cold-blooded
• cruel
• harsh
• inhuman
• insensitive
• merciless
• ruthless
• uncaring
• unkind