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
The $31 million bill will override a heartless funding cut by the state Department of Health and, for now, avoids a potential life-or-death situation for about 11,000 people in Florida.
—
Orlando Sentinel,
The Orlando Sentinel,
15 Mar. 2026
In 1965 Maryland, Sophia Clark is given an opportunity to attend a prestigious all white boarding school and escape her heartless parents.
—
Danielle Parker,
CBS News,
15 Feb. 2026
A lot of the tellings of the story set him up as this heartless crook out to enrich himself, hurt other people, and exploit the ocean.
—
Abigail Wise,
Outside,
13 Feb. 2026
Institutional evolution is inexorable and heartless.
—
Arkansas Online,
10 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for heartless
Orlando Sentinel,
The Orlando Sentinel,
15 Mar. 2026
In 1965 Maryland, Sophia Clark is given an opportunity to attend a prestigious all white boarding school and escape her heartless parents.
—
Danielle Parker,
CBS News,
15 Feb. 2026
A lot of the tellings of the story set him up as this heartless crook out to enrich himself, hurt other people, and exploit the ocean.
—
Abigail Wise,
Outside,
13 Feb. 2026
Institutional evolution is inexorable and heartless.
—
Arkansas Online,
10 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for heartless
Recent Examples of Synonyms for heartless
Adjective
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Natural selection is usually ruthless about weeding out traits with no function.
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Supergirl builds to a final showdown with Krem of the Yellow Hills, the ruthless Brigands leader who murdered Ruthye’s family and poisoned Krypto early in the film.
Adjective
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Swift moved on from one Brit to the next, quietly dating actor Joe Alwyn from 2017 to 2023, while the world spent back-to-back cruel summers without Taymerica.
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This is particularly gratifying given the absurd and cruel trolling the young actress received from the toxic corners of internet fandom leading up to the film’s release.
Adjective
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The poem that precedes it, the Iliad, is a cruel and beautiful work, the ultimate story of war; the Odyssey has its warlike passages, but its central energies seem almost commonplace beside the merciless fury of Achilles.
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Humility is the posture; the standard is merciless.
Adjective
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And Addy, perhaps the most brutal American Girl story, is enslaved.
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In January, the government suppressed huge nationwide protests in a brutal crackdown that left thousands dead.
Adjective
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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.
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Instead of looking like a sleek urban loft, the room can quickly start to feel cold, stony, and impersonal.
Adjective
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This vicious machine chewed him up and spit him out in predictable fashion.
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The mood changed a bit when Tab Ramos took a vicious elbow to the side of his head and fractured his skull.
Adjective
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The Yellow Death has disfigured the population, and soldiers in white-and-red tunics serve the savage Duke of Tviot.
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Josefowicz, in her decathlon of a performance, brought Ligeti’s savage discontinuities to the surface.
Cite this Entry
“Heartless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/heartless. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.
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