heartless
heartless — 形容詞
1. showing no kindness, sympathy, or concern for the suffering or needs of other pe
冷酷無情
對他人痛苦毫無同情心的
showing no kindness, sympathy, or concern for the suffering or needs of other people — for example, firing a sick employee without warning, or ignoring someone who is hurt.
The landlord was heartless to turn off the heat in the middle of winter.
那名房東在寒冬中關掉暖氣，真是冷酷無情。
heartless + to-infinitive — describes an action as lacking sympathy
Adaeze called her neighbour heartless for leaving his dog out in the rain all night.
Adaeze 責怪鄰居把狗留在雨中一整夜，實在太無情了。
call + person + heartless for + gerund — pattern for accusation
The hospital's heartless rule turned away sick people who had no insurance.
醫院那套冷酷無情的規定，把沒有保險的病患都拒於門外。
Vikram said it was heartless of his classmates to make fun of the new student.
Vikram 說他的同學取笑新來的學生，實在很無情。
Noor could not believe how heartless the company's layoff email sounded.
Noor 不敢相信公司的裁員信聽起來那麼冷酷無情。
- cruel
more general term; heartless specifically focuses on emotional coldness rather than physical cruelty
- cold-hearted
very similar but slightly less intense; emphasises emotional coldness over active cruelty
- unfeeling
less common; highlights a lack of emotional response rather than deliberate harshness
- merciless
emphasises a refusal to show mercy, especially in a position of power
- kind
the direct opposite in everyday use
- compassionate
specifically about feeling for others' suffering
- sympathetic
focuses on understanding and sharing others' feelings
文法句型
heartless + noun (attributive)
be heartless (to + infinitive)
it is heartless of + person + to-infinitive
用法筆記
Stronger than 'unkind' or 'inconsiderate' — implies deliberate cruelty or a complete lack of basic human sympathy, not just thoughtlessness. Commonly used with intensifying adverbs: 'absolutely heartless', 'utterly heartless', 'completely heartless'.