HARD-HEARTED Synonyms: 113 Similar and Opposite Words

hard-hearted

adjective

ˈhärd-ˈhär-təd

Definition of hard-hearted

as in ruthless

having or showing a lack of sympathy or tender feelings a hard-hearted brush-off to a homeless man asking for money

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of hard-hearted Now, our narrow-minded and hard-hearted lawmakers and education overseers do not want undocumented students in Florida to get a college education. — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 18 Sep. 2026 Yet the very readiness with which the hard-hearted General Tilney believes this account suggests that he is used to reliable reports of other people’s wealth. — Literary Hub, 10 Sep. 2025 That makes perfect sense to all but the closed-minded or hard-hearted. — Jim Newton, Mercury News, 27 June 2025 And each registered the other’s contention with the hard-hearted energy of her own physical craving. — Jim Shepard, New Yorker, 8 June 2025 Joel, a hard-hearted smuggler, and Ellie, a headstrong teenager immune to the fungal pandemic that’s decimated the planet. — Adam B. Vary, Variety, 5 Mar. 2025 The hard-hearted treatment of men is on full display throughout Cecot. — David Culver, CNN, 6 Nov. 2024 In the face of such terror, even hard-hearted Sam has to crumble. — Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 27 June 2024

Recent Examples of Synonyms for hard-hearted

Adjective

Today, it is widely known that coal miners of the 19th and early 20th centuries experienced ruthless exploitation and hazardous working conditions.

— Marcus Librizzi, The Conversation, 26 Oct. 2026
Involuntary bumping is more ruthless, denying boarding to passengers in a joyless game of musical plane seats.

— Andrea Sachs, Washington Post, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of ruthless

Adjective

It would be seen as a work of merciless autofiction in the vein of Karl Ove Knausgaard, and it would be discussed, as his books are, as aggressive, antisocial, and spiteful.

— B. D. McClay, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2026
In the story, Ria teams up with her foster mother and their fellow punks to resist a merciless developer intent on tearing down their building.

— Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of merciless

Adjective

Oscar Wilde, for example, reposes beneath a hulking deity whose iconoclastic castration, back in 1961, did little to restrain pilgrims seeking to smear red lips across his stony physique.

— Emily Cox, ARTnews.com, 22 May 2026
Instead of looking like a sleek urban loft, the room can quickly start to feel cold, stony, and impersonal.

— Natasha Bazika, Martha Stewart, 9 May 2026

Definition of stony

Browse Nearby Words

hardheads

hard-hearted

hard-heartedly

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Hard-hearted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hard-hearted. Accessed 29 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of hard-hearted

adjective

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

shindig

Popular in Grammar & Usage

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE

Popular

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes