What is a good word to...?

[tinkerdan]

The good part is...
you don't have to.

 

[ZlodeyVolk]

disparaging adjective (comparative more disparaging, superlative most disparaging)
1. Insulting, ridiculing.
The candidate made disparaging remarks about his opponent, but they only made him seem small for insulting a worthy adversary.

 

[-K2-]

@ZlodeyVolk ; I think again, that demonstrates more aggression than I'm looking for. As I was walking the boys through the woods today however, while thinking on the word indifference, I was suddenly reminded of the term "callous indifference." Perhaps the that might be the word I'm looking for.

Using it and a couple others suggested (though these are not the lines, just some mocked up):

'Reaper-379, Central Dispatch... be aware that three homestead citizens are in the vicinity with security, over.'

"Roger Central, 379... copy on the homestead citizens. Rain and hail, over," Rokka-Kae callously responded chuckling malevolently.

'Reaper-379, Major Sutton...' a new voice broke in over comms'. 'Please Rokka-Kae, I'm begging you. I know two of--' whereupon Kae cut him off.

"Sutton, 379... Rain and hail, but... if you can get down here in two minutes, I'll honor your policy as well, out," Rokka-Kae derisively/sardonically taunted him, intending to kill the homestead citizens first.

K2

 

[ZlodeyVolk]

'k.

 

[Dan Jones]

What about "invective" - which means highly abusive language.

 

[-K2-]

What about "invective" - which means highly abusive language.

Well, again, if that's what it means, then it's too aggressive, showing a desire to cause harm.

Let me put it this way, the person who will use the phrase simply doesn't care.

Typically (not in the case of our protagonist), they are sociopaths who have no remorse, cannot distinguish right from wrong, have zero empathy, and plain and simply don't care one way or the other. So it's not that they want to harm that person, or even understand why another person would care. In truth, they really don't have malice. They just do what they do having no fear OR even understanding of consequence.

So though a normal person would find it a terrible, malicious thing to say, to them it simply means 'no one is safe' without any emotion attached to it. THAT is what makes it so chilling.

K2

 

[ZlodeyVolk]

Wait a mo' — malevolent isn't 'too aggressive'? It literally means 'ill wishing'.

 

[ZlodeyVolk]

indurate, verb (third-person singular simple present indurates, present participle indurating, simple past & past participle indurated)
1. To harden or to grow hard.
2. To make callous or unfeeling.
3. To inure; to strengthen; to make hardy or robust.

Synonyms
inure

Derived terms
induration
indurative

indurate, adjective (comparative more indurate, superlative most indurate)
1. Hardened, obstinate, unfeeling, callous.

 

[-K2-]

Wait a mo' — malevolent isn't 'too aggressive'? It literally means 'ill wishing'.

Yes it is, in the example above however, the phrase the character uses, "rain and hail," is a callous one. She chuckled malevolently, yet it says nothing about the phrase. Anyone else of her profession would use the phrase sans emotion.

So, what I'm trying to discover is a word that describes that phrase with the unemotional intent that most users would typically have.

Thanks for the input!

K2