heartless
/ˈhɑɹt.lɪs/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: 3.33 in modern English
12
Scrabble Score
9
Letters
2
Syllables
7
Unique Chars
Meaning
Example Sentences
- "His heartless actions and cold manner left her saddened and feeling alone."
- "The world is a dangerous, violent place […] and the only true refuge from this heartless world is the family."
- "It's safer to be heartless than mindless. The history of the world is the history of the triumph of the heartless over the mindless."
- "Mr. Burns is similarly perfectly cast as a heartless capitalist willing to do anything for a quick buck, even if it means endangering the lives of those around him and Marge elegantly rounds out the main cast as a good, pure-hearted and overly indulgent woman who sees the big, good heart (literally and metaphorically) of a monstrous man-brute."
- "Near-synonyms: spiritless, unhearty"
- "Cecilia then, though almost heartless, resolved upon talking with Mr. Harrel himself […]."
Etymology
From Middle English hertles, herteles, from Old English heortlēas (“without courage; listless”), equivalent to heart + -less. Cognate with German herzlos.
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: hertles, heortlēas
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈhɑɹt.lɪs/
- British English: /ˈhɑːt.lɪs/
Usage
Inflected Forms
more heartless (comparative)
most heartless (superlative)