Word of the Day: callous

callous \ ˈka-ləs \ adjective, noun and verb

adjective: emotionally hardened

adjective: having one or more areas of tough skin called calluses

noun: an area of skin that is thick or hard from continual pressure or friction (as the sole of the foot)

verb: make insensitive; deaden feelings or morals

The word callous has appeared in 96 articles on NYTimes.com in the past year, including on Dec. 19 in “A Culture in the Cross Hairs” by Jason Farago, Sarah Kerr, Ainara Tiefenthäler and Haley Willis:

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has taken the lives of tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians, and unleashed the most severe humanitarian and refugee crisis in Europe since World War II. It has also dealt a grievous blow to Ukrainian culture: to its museums and monuments, its grand universities and rural libraries, its historic churches and contemporary mosaics.

… The Times has found that some of the sites were intentionally targeted by Russian soldiers or pro-Russian separatists. Others appeared to be collateral damage. But in case after case, whether the destruction was deliberate or not, the invading Russians showed, at best, a callous disregard for the cultural heritage of Ukraine.

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