heartless

adjective

heart·​less ˈhärt-ləs How to pronounce heartless (audio)
1
archaic : spiritless
2
: lacking feeling : cruel
heartlessly adverb
heartlessness noun

Examples of heartless in a Sentence

a heartless boss who would fire people for missing work, even if they were sick as a dog a heartless enemy that takes no prisoners
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Resist this madness before the unhinged, heartless bully and his spellbound thugs shred our Constitution and our future. Chicago Tribune, 3 Apr. 2025 At least one federal employee that Elon Musk can’t fire has taken an important stand for all the workers who were terminated in Musk’s heartless government purge. Leonard Greene, New York Daily News, 30 Mar. 2025 The answer came this week — with brutal and heartless efficiency. Steve Bousquet, Sun Sentinel, 15 Feb. 2025 Nelis renders the professor a pompous and pedantic twit but not a heartless one. Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for heartless

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of heartless was in the 14th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Heartless.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/heartless. Accessed 12 Apr. 2025.

Kids Definition

heartless

adjective
heart·​less ˈhärt-ləs How to pronounce heartless (audio)
heartlessly adverb
heartlessness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on heartless

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!