hardhearted

Examples

• All

• And he would answer, "I am not hardhearted, Mandy, but I am hardheaded, as a man must be who aims to run a prosperous business and support his family."

  Fiction book (1990)

• But like her father, Erica was mainstream, savvy, and deep-down hardhearted—prom queen from the word go.

  Fiction book (1999)

• And if anyone asks me how you treated me... I'll say you are bad and hardhearted and mean.

  Jane Eyre (1943)

• Maybe you think I'm hardhearted, your own mother... ...but what I'm gonna do is the only thing I can think of.

  Somebody Up There Likes Me (1956)

• I'm certainly not calling you hardhearted, and I think naive may be a reasonable conclusion.

  Blog text (12)

• Not that I'm not sad or hardhearted or anything, but I prefer to be with myself, and I sit on the balcony and watch the seagulls and the cars crawling along the sea road.

  Fiction book (1990)

• This powerful, quiet force can penetrate the most callous and hardhearted atheist you'd ever wanna meet.

  The Apostle (1997)

• But what does matter is the suffering of a man... many men... and many men I see here who choose to be so ignorant of life, suffering, and pain that they would write such hardhearted messages as: coward, faggot, etc.

  Blog text (6)

• As for Rousseau's bêtes noires, the rich, he casts them as hateful because both hardhearted and hypocritical.

  Academic text (1997)

• You would have to be hardhearted to ignore the cries of those in need.

Synonyms

T

tough

vshardhearted

403 3.8

Emotionally strong and not easily moved by feelings

leans more toward cruelty and lack of mercy than mere resilience

H

heartless

vshardhearted

• Offensive

79 4.1

Not showing kindness or sympathy to others

is similar but emphasizes merciless attitude rather than mere coldness

C

cold-blooded

vshardhearted

• Offensive

54 6.1

Showing no pity and acting cruel on purpose

is similar but may not imply planned or deliberate cruelty

U

unkind

vshardhearted

44 1.0

Not friendly or caring to other people

is similar but more severe in emotional coldness and cruelty

C

callous

vshardhearted

41 7.3

Not caring about other people's feelings or pain

shares cruelty but focuses more on unfeeling nature than intent

U

unforgiving

vshardhearted

35 5.8

Not willing to forgive someone and acting without mercy

focuses on general lack of compassion rather than refusal to pardon

U

unfeeling

vshardhearted

14 5.9

Not showing sympathy or care for other people's feelings

focuses more on being actively merciless rather than simply unresponsive

H

hard-nosed

vshardhearted

12 7.2

A practical, tough person who is not moved by feelings

is colder and more merciless rather than merely practical

B

brittle

vshardhearted

10 7.4

Cold and unfriendly in the way someone behaves

is more severe, focusing on absence of mercy rather than cold manner

U

unsympathetic

vshardhearted

7 4.9

Not feeling sorry for someone or caring about their problems

adds a stronger sense of mercilessness beyond mere lack of sympathy

R

remorseless

vshardhearted

6 7.5

Not feeling sorry and continuing without stopping when hurting others

overlaps but is more about cold lack of feeling than relentlessness

C

coldhearted

vshardhearted

4 6.0

Showing no care or sympathy for other people

is the same idea but with added harshness or cruelty

H

hard-bitten

vshardhearted

4 8.2

Tough and not easily upset because of difficult past experiences

is similar but stresses active lack of compassion rather than learned hardness

C

cold as ice

vshardhearted

• Informal

4 7.2

Not showing any feeling or kindness to others

is similar but suggests a harsher, merciless stance

H

hard-boiled

vshardhearted

3 6.5

A person who is tough and does not show feelings or pity

is more openly merciless rather than simply emotionally tough

U

uncompassionate

vshardhearted

1 7.3

Not caring when other people suffer

is similar but also implies a cruel or merciless quality

R

roughshod

vshardhearted

1 8.9

Acting in a harsh way that ignores other people's feelings

is closer to emotional absence rather than active domination

K

kindless

vshardhearted

• Archaic

1 8.6

A person who does not show care for other people

is harsher, stressing an active absence of mercy

U

unpitying

vshardhearted

8.8

Not showing kindness or mercy when others suffer

shares harshness but highlights broader lack of compassion

S

stonyhearted

vshardhearted

9.6

Not feeling sorry for other people

is the same lack of feeling with added merciless tone

M

meanspirited

vshardhearted

• Offensive

7.4

Unkind and petty in a way that hurts other people

is broader, focusing on serious mercilessness rather than pettiness

U

ungiving

vshardhearted

7.4

Not willing to give, share, or be kind to others

is broader, stressing emotional lack rather than refusal to give

P

pachydermatous

vshardhearted

• Literature

9.9

Not easily upset by what others say or feel

matches the hardened trait but emphasizes active mercilessness more

Antonyms

C

compassionate

151 3.7

Feeling concern and care for people who suffer

M

merciful

54 3.3

Kind and willing to forgive someone who is suffering or has done wrong

S

softhearted

1 3.4

A person who feels sorry for others and helps them

How Compassionate

compassionate

151 3.7

unsympathetic

7 4.9

hardhearted

1 7.2

cruel

522 2.7

merciless

33 5.3

Surface Forms

Morphology

Etymology