as in heartlessly
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Recent Examples of callously
Marley’s level of fame and influence meant that, after his death at 36, his legacy, his spirit, his brand was to be shaped by a record industry that could be callously indifferent to truth or quality at the expense of revenue.
—
Eric Harvey, Pitchfork, 18 Jan. 2026
Some industry representatives ahead of the meeting expressed worry that attending risked casting them as willing participants in a callously opportunistic grab for Venezuela’s crude, people familiar with the matter said.
—Bloomberg Wire, Dallas Morning News, 10 Jan. 2026
The director plays up the humor a lot more than Westlake’s callously cynical prose, for better or worse.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 30 Sep. 2025
But after the Sriracha-maker callously withheld payments from Underwood, the relationship deteriorated and litigation followed.
—Kate Vitasek, Forbes.com, 14 Aug. 2025
One of the youngest of the MacKenzie brood (and often seen with sister Janet), Jocasta Cameron is sometimes callously honest, perpetually jealous of the attention Ellen gets, and unhappily married to an old man.
—Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 8 Aug. 2025
Eric Harvey, Pitchfork, 18 Jan. 2026
Some industry representatives ahead of the meeting expressed worry that attending risked casting them as willing participants in a callously opportunistic grab for Venezuela’s crude, people familiar with the matter said.
—Bloomberg Wire, Dallas Morning News, 10 Jan. 2026
The director plays up the humor a lot more than Westlake’s callously cynical prose, for better or worse.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 30 Sep. 2025
But after the Sriracha-maker callously withheld payments from Underwood, the relationship deteriorated and litigation followed.
—Kate Vitasek, Forbes.com, 14 Aug. 2025
One of the youngest of the MacKenzie brood (and often seen with sister Janet), Jocasta Cameron is sometimes callously honest, perpetually jealous of the attention Ellen gets, and unhappily married to an old man.
—Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 8 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for callously
Adverb
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In the process, Joel heartlessly killed some innocent people, including medical professionals.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
26 Aug. 2025
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There is a troubling suggestion of abuse, implying that Jack might have been ill-treated by his mom (and saved by Helen), rather than heartlessly abandoned.—
Tomris Laffly,
Variety,
14 Aug. 2025
Adverb
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Indy is also up against a formidable adversary in Detective Inspector Jon Creasy (Parkes), who is determined to get to the truth, despite efforts by his colleague Eddie (Gillen), who is ruthlessly intent on clearing his son’s name.—
Jake Kanter,
Deadline,
29 Jan. 2026
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Nina has no mentor to look up to; Beth, the former prima ballerina played by Winona Ryder, has been ruthlessly excised from the company for being too old.—
Faith Hill,
The Atlantic,
12 Jan. 2026
Adverb
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During the War of 1812, the British mercilessly bombarded Fort Henry.—
Gladys Louise Tyler,
Forbes.com,
30 Jan. 2026
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How could someone with such familiar dreams have beaten me so mercilessly only minutes earlier?—
Omid Memarian,
The Atlantic,
25 Jan. 2026
Adverb
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In this volatile environment, comments that appear to minimize or frame the shooting insensitively—like Matt Gutman's—can quickly become career-ending.—
Martha McHardy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Sep. 2025
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Sahroni has faced accusations of responding insensitively to people calling for parliament to be dissolved amid anger over lawmakers’ allowances.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
31 Aug. 2025
Adverb
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The first hour, set at a resort that’s like a singles cruise through the Twilight Zone (or Bachelor in Paradise beamed in from a brutal alternate universe), contains some of the most pitilessly funny scenes of the filmmaker’s career.—
A.A. Dowd,
Vulture,
24 Oct. 2025
Adverb
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The oversight tour came after activists alleged detainees were being treated inhumanely at the facility.—
Tim Dunn,
Boston Herald,
14 Jan. 2026
Adverb
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Kahlo vibrantly and unsparingly depicted herself and events from her life, which was upended by a bus accident at 18.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
30 Nov. 2025
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Kahlo vibrantly and unsparingly depicted herself and events from her life, which was upended by a bus accident at 18.—
Hannah Schoenbaum,
Fortune,
24 Nov. 2025
Adverb
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Kyiv, which has grappled with severe power shortages this winter, is forecast to enter a brutally cold stretch starting Friday that is expected to last into next week.—
AAMER MADHANI AND SUSIE BLANN THE ASSOCIATED PRESS,
Arkansas Online,
30 Jan. 2026
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Friday, despite no freezing fog, is expected to have brutally cold conditions between 16 and 32 degrees, with winds of five to 10 mph.—
Isa Almeida,
Oklahoman,
29 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Callously.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/callously. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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