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“Callous” or “Callus”

callous / callus are similar-sounding terms with different meanings (referred to as homophones). To better understand the differences, see below for definitions, pronunciation guides, and example sentences using each term.

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Definitions

What each term means

Same sound, different spellings and meanings, shown with a pronunciation guide for each term.

callous k·AE·l·ah·s

  • verbmake insensitive or callous; deaden feelings or morals.
  • adjectiveemotionally hardened.

callus k·AE·l·ah·s

  • nounbony tissue formed during the healing of a fractured bone.
  • noun(botany) an isolated thickening of tissue, especially a stiff protuberance on the lip of an orchid.
  • verbcause a callus to form on.
  • verbform a callus or calluses.
Usage

Examples in context

Real sentences for each spelling. Hover an example to copy it.

“callous”

  • …Deen as Richard Ballantyne, a callous, egotistical, emotionally-abusive movie star.
  • …2014's Creeper and 2015's The Callous Heart as an indication of…
  • Though his callous attitude can make him sometimes…
  • …The Stranger favourably to The Callous Heart, highlighting "Misery" and "Astral…

“callus”

  • …a yellowish-green and dark green callus in its centre.
  • The callus on the columellar lip is

Examples are Wikipedia snippets under the CC ShareAlike 3.0 license. Definitions are drawn from WordNet.

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