cold-hearted
Definition
Adjective: Lacking in feeling or warmth of affection; unkind, unsympathetic, or deliberately cruel in a way that shows no care for others' feelings.
Usage Examples
- (unfeeling and unsympathetic.)
- (lacking compassion.)
- (showing deliberate cruelty or indifference.)
Advanced Usage
"to be cold-hearted toward someone": to treat someone with deliberate lack of sympathy.
- He was cold-hearted toward his own brother during the crisis. (He showed no concern for his brother's suffering.)
"cold-hearted decision": a choice made without considering the emotional impact on others.
- The board made a cold-hearted decision to cut all funding for the charity. (a decision lacking empathy.)
Variants and Related Words
Cold-heartedly (adverb): in a cold-hearted manner.
- She cold-heartedly rejected his apology. (she did so without any warmth.)
Cold-heartedness (noun): the quality of being cold-hearted.
- His cold-heartedness shocked everyone who knew him. (his lack of compassion.)
Synonyms
- Unfeeling: lacking sensitivity or sympathy.
- Callous: emotionally hardened; insensitive to the suffering of others.
- Heartless: without kindness or mercy; cruel.
- Inhumane: lacking human kindness or compassion.
Antonyms
- Compassionate: feeling or showing sympathy and concern for others.
- Warm-hearted: kind, friendly, and generous.
- Tender: showing gentleness and care.
Related Idioms
"have a heart of stone": to be extremely cold-hearted and unfeeling.
- He has a heart of stone — he never shows any emotion. (he is completely cold-hearted.)
"cold as ice": emotionally distant and unresponsive.
- Her stare was cold as ice; she seemed indifferent to his pain. (extremely cold-hearted.)