insentient

adjective

in·​sen·​tient (ˌ)in-ˈsen(t)-sh(ē-)ənt How to pronounce insentient (audio)
: lacking perception, consciousness, or animation

Examples of insentient in a Sentence

refused to believe that the universe as we know it evolved from the random interactions of insentient particles of matter an insentient therapist who failed to see what the teenager's real problem was
Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
This is partly because the loss of insentient machinery, no matter how expensive, is easier to stomach than the death of an aircrew. Lauren Kahn, Foreign Affairs, 6 June 2023 But its shortcomings are essentially those of the novel: its single-track didacticism; its neat pitting of romantic idealists against macho, insentient normies; and the fact that a decisive plot twist can be spotted a mile off. Houman Barekat, New York Times, 29 Mar. 2023 Genes are insentient things and cannot be said to have any kind of purposeful selfish or unselfish behavior. Quanta Magazine, 14 Sep. 2017

Word History

First Known Use

1764, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of insentient was in 1764

Dictionary Entries Near insentient

Cite this Entry

“Insentient.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/insentient. Accessed 16 Nov. 2024.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!