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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of heartless
Erika Kirk would trade EVERY title to have Charlie back, you heartless witch.
—
Jordan King, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Dec. 2025
The silence of the G-20 declaration on this and other jihadi atrocities on the continent is a moral disgrace, revealing the gathering to be a heartless charade that history will judge harshly.
—Paul Tilsley , Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 23 Nov. 2025
That Malice can be heartless and brainless need not be a problem; some of my favorite shows are mean and stupid, and downright gleeful about it.
—Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 14 Nov. 2025
My frustration only furthered my resolve to go full Nancy Drew and find out who committed this heartless crime.
—Maggie MacIntosh, Vogue, 27 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for heartless
Jordan King, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Dec. 2025
The silence of the G-20 declaration on this and other jihadi atrocities on the continent is a moral disgrace, revealing the gathering to be a heartless charade that history will judge harshly.
—Paul Tilsley , Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 23 Nov. 2025
That Malice can be heartless and brainless need not be a problem; some of my favorite shows are mean and stupid, and downright gleeful about it.
—Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 14 Nov. 2025
My frustration only furthered my resolve to go full Nancy Drew and find out who committed this heartless crime.
—Maggie MacIntosh, Vogue, 27 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for heartless
Recent Examples of Synonyms for heartless
Adjective
-
Figure skating is ruthless that way.—
Marcus Thompson II,
New York Times,
4 Feb. 2026
-
Pursued by both the FBI and a ruthless crime boss (Bening), Lucky must fight for her life — and a way out.—
Dessi Gomez,
Deadline,
3 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Said quest forces her to reexamine a revelatory affair with an RAF pilot, and consider how their engagement’s cruel ending set her on the path to a different sort of fulfillment.—
Hayley Maitland,
Vogue,
14 Feb. 2026
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Government should tame the savageness of man and make life in this world more gentle, not crueler.—
Eleanor Dearman,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Murphy is not acting alone, however, as he’s been assigned to the journey out of a labor camp run by a merciless, tobacco-spitting boss (Russell Crowe) — and some in his merriless band turn out to be savvier, and more malicious, than others.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
29 Jan. 2026
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But the Warriors, driven by the merciless ticking clock of Curry’s career, are desperate.—
Dieter Kurtenbach,
Mercury News,
28 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Plus, the unknown impact AI will have on SaaS companies casts a brutal shadow over the sector, and the impact on Workday is significantly visible.—
Amanda Gerut,
Fortune,
13 Feb. 2026
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In an ecosystem squeezed by the brutal economics of streaming and the continuing struggles of the theatrical model, far too many worthy films go unsold and unseen.—
Patrick Brzeski,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Across this stony landscape, light sometimes falls.—
Joshua Rothman,
New Yorker,
23 Jan. 2026
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Forgotten animal pens, decaying cages and stony backdrops now sit in various states of abandonment.—
Todd Martens,
Los Angeles Times,
21 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Catherine’s brother Hindley, a vicious bully whose abuse is part of what drives Cathy and Heathcliff so closely together, is cut entirely, his role combined with Catherine’s father.—
Wilson Chapman,
IndieWire,
13 Feb. 2026
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Everyone is fair game for her vicious tongue.—
R. Eric Thomas,
Chicago Tribune,
13 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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On his second, Dominique pulled off a savage windmill, the same dunk that had earned a perfect score the year before and won him the title.—
Kevin Sherrington
Feb. 10,
Dallas Morning News,
10 Feb. 2026
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Meantime, outflows both from both software and crypto (an asset class most correlated with unprofitable tech stocks) grew excessive until the savage software/bitcoin selloff hit an extreme Thursday, when money came sloshing in to catch the falling knives.—
Michael Santoli,
CNBC,
9 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Heartless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/heartless. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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