heartless

adjective

ˈhärt-ləs How to pronounce heartless (audio)
Definition of heartlessnext
1
as in ruthless
having or showing a lack of sympathy or tender feelings a heartless boss who would fire people for missing work, even if they were sick as a dog

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in cruel
having or showing the desire to inflict severe pain and suffering on others his heartless whipping of runaway slaves virtually to the point of death shocked even other slave owners

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 heartless Where the latter brought incredible jokes and plenty of heart, the former is purposefully heartless and half-intentionally predictable. — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 17 Mar. 2026 In contrast, Dessalines is typically described as violent, unthinking, emotional and heartless. — Julia Gaffield, The Conversation, 15 June 2026 In 1965 Maryland, Sophia Clark is given an opportunity to attend a prestigious all white boarding school and escape her heartless parents. — Danielle Parker, CBS News, 15 Feb. 2026 The $31 million bill will override a heartless funding cut by the state Department of Health and, for now, avoids a potential life-or-death situation for about 11,000 people in Florida. — Orlando Sentinel, The Orlando Sentinel, 15 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for heartless
Recent Examples of Synonyms for heartless
  1. ruthless
  2. cruel
  3. merciless
  4. brutal
  5. stony
  6. vicious
  7. savage
Adjective
  • Natural selection is usually ruthless about weeding out traits with no function.
    — Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026
  • Supergirl builds to a final showdown with Krem of the Yellow Hills, the ruthless Brigands leader who murdered Ruthye’s family and poisoned Krypto early in the film.
    — Lily Brown, PEOPLE, 26 June 2026
Definition of ruthless
Adjective
  • The heat has become so unbearable in Japan that weather officials in April announced a new term for days when maximum temperatures exceed 104 degrees — kokushobi, meaning harsh or cruel heat, according to the Japan Times.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 6 July 2026
  • For thousands of Venezuelans, however, the lack of definitive answers has become one of the tragedy’s cruelest consequences.
    — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 3 July 2026
Definition of cruel
Adjective
  • The poem that precedes it, the Iliad, is a cruel and beautiful work, the ultimate story of war; the Odyssey has its warlike passages, but its central energies seem almost commonplace beside the merciless fury of Achilles.
    — David Denby, New Yorker, 21 June 2026
  • Humility is the posture; the standard is merciless.
    — Luis E. Romero, Forbes.com, 19 June 2026
Definition of merciless
Adjective
  • And Addy, perhaps the most brutal American Girl story, is enslaved.
    — Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 3 July 2026
  • In January, the government suppressed huge nationwide protests in a brutal crackdown that left thousands dead.
    — Elizabeth Robinson, NBC news, 3 July 2026
Definition of brutal
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
Adjective
  • This vicious machine chewed him up and spit him out in predictable fashion.
    — Zach Dean OutKick, FOXNews.com, 1 July 2026
  • The mood changed a bit when Tab Ramos took a vicious elbow to the side of his head and fractured his skull.
    — Gabriel Sama, Mercury News, 28 June 2026
Definition of vicious
Adjective
  • The Yellow Death has disfigured the population, and soldiers in white-and-red tunics serve the savage Duke of Tviot.
    — Dan Piepenbring, Harpers Magazine, 30 June 2026
  • Josefowicz, in her decathlon of a performance, brought Ligeti’s savage discontinuities to the surface.
    — Alex Ross, New Yorker, 29 June 2026
Definition of savage

Browse Nearby Words

heartiness
heartless
heartlessly
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Cite this Entry

“Heartless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/heartless. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on heartless

Nglish: Translation of heartless for Spanish Speakers

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