heart of stone
Merciless inner nature
A heart of stone is a lack of sympathy or emotional responsiveness.
Someone with a heart of stone remains unmoved by suffering, appeals, or sentiment that would affect most people: You'd need a heart of stone not to cry at that ending.
The phrase often appears in contexts of refusal or indifference: She begged him to stay, but he had a heart of stone.
- callousCruelly insensitive to others
- unfeelingWithout compassion or emotion
- cold as iceExtremely unfeeling or aloof
- indifferentLacking interest or concern
- petrifiedSolidified or fear-paralyzed
calcified · apathetic · unemotional · biblical symbolism · insensitive · hardened · hard as nails · unyielding · unsympathetic · flesh and blood · rigid · aloof · impenetrable · cruel · no mercy · without pity · unmoved · unforgiving
- body idiomsheartstrings, gut feeling, gut instinct, backbone, hard head
heart of stoneheart of gold
Deeply generous nature
soft heart · tender heart · warm heart · bleeding heart · big heart
heart of stonecompassionate
Showing concern for sufferers
sympathetic · merciful · empathetic · tender · caring
heart, stone, hearts, hearted, heartful, heartless, hearty, heartily, sweetheart