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.
Nelis renders the professor a pompous and pedantic twit but not a heartless one. Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2025 Millie Bobby Brown—the closest thing Netflix has to an in-house star—plays Michelle, a teenager sympathetic to the automatons’ plight who rallies a group of misfits to dethrone a heartless tech mogul, Ethan (Stanley Tucci), who believes that humans and robots shouldn’t coexist. Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 19 Mar. 2025 When moderate, swing-district members of the House balked prior to the vote, Johnson assured them that the caucus wouldn't really go through with such destructive and heartless cuts to a program that serves as a lifeline for millions of poor Americans. Mark Davis, Newsweek, 14 Mar. 2025 Grande was one of the brightest surprises as the vapid but not entirely heartless Glinda. Randy Myers, The Mercury News, 25 Feb. 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 1 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
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