Skip to main content
heartlessly

heartlessly

1 6.1
In a way that shows no kindness or care
  • adverb
  • /ˈhɑrtləsli/
translation icon : desalmadamente
  • She heartlessly ignored the pleas of those in need.
  • so heartlessly

Examples

  • Striking miners in South Africa are demanding a big raise and heartlessly resisting when the bosses beg them to be reasonable and go back to work.

    Blog text (8)
  • The real story is that the politicians and their plutocrat masters picked up the goalposts and heartlessly moved them.

    Blog text (29)
  • But the camera is heartlessly objective.

    Fiction book (1996)
  • I don't use the term "failing school," which heartlessly brands the students and the rest of the school community as failing.

    Blog text (28)
  • I laugh heartlessly.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • To be clear, Africans were heartlessly pushed off the best lands in Zimbabwe by the more powerful whites.

    Academic text (2000)
  • There is a scene where Jude finds himself staring at his new wife, Arabella, as she heartlessly guts a pig, and he wonders how in the world he managed to wind up with her.

    Blog text (31)
  • At the very least, it seems heartlessly unjust for professionals who design and direct long-term care programs to distance themselves from their effects on the lives of the consumers, while making the most poorly paid and least well-trained workers bear witness to the human burden of public long-term care policies.

    Academic text (1994)
  • The manager heartlessly fired employees without any notice.

  • They heartlessly turned away the homeless man seeking shelter.

Synonyms

mercilessly
vsheartlessly
22 6.4

In a way that shows no pity

covers lack of compassion more generally rather than extreme harshness
callously
vsheartlessly
7 7.7

In a way that shows no care for other people's feelings

is the general lack of compassion without stressing deliberate cruelty
cold-bloodedly
vsheartlessly
1 8.4

In a calm, cruel way without feeling sorry

is similar but covers lack of compassion without always implying cruelty
remorselessly
vsheartlessly
1 8.1

In a way that shows no pity for others

is the broader lack of kindness rather than active mercilessness
unemotionally
vsheartlessly
1 5.0

In a calm way that does not show feelings

is about lacking compassion or kindness rather than only hiding emotion
pitilessly
vsheartlessly
1 7.6

In a way that shows no pity or mercy

is less about active cruelty and more about general unkindness
stonily
vsheartlessly
1 8.0

In a cold, unfriendly way that shows no feeling

focuses more on absence of kindness specifically rather than stonecold attitude
unsympathetically
vsheartlessly
1 6.6

Without showing care for someone's feelings

expresses the same absence of compassion but in broader terms
frigidly
vsheartlessly
1 6.8

In a cold, unfriendly way that shows no feeling

means lacking compassion or kindness rather than just being distant
apathetically
vsheartlessly
1 7.3

In a way that shows no interest or energy

is the stronger idea of lacking compassion rather than simple indifference
hurtfully
vsheartlessly
1 4.1

In a way that makes someone feel sad or in pain

focuses on lacking compassion rather than on causing hurt intentionally
unfeelingly
vsheartlessly
7.5

In a way that does not show care or kindness

focuses more on absence of kindness specifically rather than general numbness
emotionlessly
vsheartlessly
6.9

Without showing any feeling

centres on absence of kindness or sympathy rather than mere emotionlessness
soullessly
vsheartlessly
8.0

In a way that shows no feeling or human warmth, like a machine

is about absence of compassion rather than being merely mechanical

Antonyms

179 1.0

In a gentle and caring way

In a kind way that shows care for people who are suffering

How Compassionate

kindly
179 1.0
unkindly
4 4.4
heartlessly
1 6.1
cruelly
16 3.0
inhumanly
  • NSFW
1 7.4

Surface Forms

heartlessly positive
heartlesslyer comparative
heartlesslyest superlative

Morphology

heartlessly = heartless (transparent) = heart + less + ly

Formed by adding '-ly' to the transparent adjective 'heartless' (heart + -less), creating an adverb meaning 'in a heartless manner'.

Etymology

The word heartlessly comes from heart, the part of the body people often name as the place of feelings, plus -less meaning 'without' and -ly which shows 'how' something is done. So heartlessly means 'without heart', which is why it describes actions done without pity or kindness.