THICK-SKINNED Synonyms: 113 Similar and Opposite Words

thick-skinned

adjective

ˈthik-ˌskind

Definition of thick-skinned

as in ruthless

having or showing a lack of sympathy or tender feelings was so thick-skinned that she was clueless about the fact that the joke had hurt her friend's feelings

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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 thick-skinned The trunk, in the manner of succulent trees at large, is technically a caudex or thick-skinned water storage structure, which, in this case, is also the principal photosynthesizing or food-producing organ of the tree. — Joshua Siskin, Oc Register, 20 Dec. 2025 Southerners like to use these thick-skinned grapes for preserves and wines. — Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 3 Oct. 2025 It is made from the thick-skinned Lambrusco di Grasparossa, whose high acid keeps the wine balanced and avoids its being cloyingly sweet from its 48 grams/liter residual sugar. — John Mariani, Forbes.com, 27 June 2025 The formidable thick-skinned, long-furred beast occupied the mammoth steppe, a cold-dry grassland biome that existed during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). — Conor Feehly, Discover Magazine, 26 June 2024 See All Example Sentences for thick-skinned

Recent Examples of Synonyms for thick-skinned

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

thickset

thick-skinned

thick-witted

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“Thick-skinned.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/thick-skinned. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of thick-skinned

adjective

Example Sentences

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