herzlos
heartless
Without compassion for others and without consideration for their feelings or suffering.
EXAMPLE
Es war herzlos von ihm, über ihre Trauer zu lachen.
It was heartless of him to laugh at her grief.
herzlos
heartless
herzlos – herzloser – am herzlosesten
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Meanings
Forms
Forms adapted from the German Wiktionary entry herzlos, by Wiktionary contributors, licence CC BY-SA 4.0.
Comparison
| basic form | herzlos |
|---|---|
| comparative | herzloser |
| superlative | am herzlosesten |
After der, die, das
| masc. | fem. | neut. | plural | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| nom. | -e | -e | -e | -en |
| acc. | -en | -e | -e | -en |
| dat. | -en | -en | -en | -en |
| gen. | -en | -en | -en | -en |
Add the ending to herzlos.
After ein, eine
| masc. | fem. | neut. | plural | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| nom. | -er | -e | -es | -en |
| acc. | -en | -e | -es | -en |
| dat. | -en | -en | -en | -en |
| gen. | -en | -en | -en | -en |
Add the ending to herzlos.
Without article
| masc. | fem. | neut. | plural | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| nom. | -er | -e | -es | -e |
| acc. | -en | -e | -es | -e |
| dat. | -em | -er | -em | -en |
| gen. | -en | -er | -en | -er |
Add the ending to herzlos.
Usage tips
Word formation
'Herzlos' (heartless) is made up of 'Herz' (heart) and '-los' (-less). The ending '-los' indicates that something is missing; in 'herzlos', compassion or human warmth is missing.
EXAMPLE
Seine herzlosen Worte verletzten die ganze Familie.
His heartless words hurt the whole family.
Typical collocations
'Herzlos' (heartless) often comes before words such as 'Bemerkung' (remark), 'Entscheidung' (decision), 'Behandlung' (treatment), or 'Verhalten' (behavior). It is usually used to criticize an action or statement very strongly.
EXAMPLE
Die herzlose Bemerkung machte die Situation noch schlimmer.
The heartless remark made the situation even worse.
Fixed construction
For a specific action, the construction 'Es ist herzlos von + Dativ, …' (It is heartless of + dative, …) is particularly useful. It is often followed by an infinitive with 'zu' (to), which names the criticized action.
EXAMPLE
Es war herzlos von der Ärztin, den Patienten ohne Erklärung wegzuschicken.
It was heartless of the doctor to send the patient away without an explanation.
In real life
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