as in ruthless
having or showing a lack of sympathy or tender feelings
having lived through the horrors of war, the soldiers had seemingly become desensitized to virtually all human suffering
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for desensitized
Adjective
-
There’s an undercurrent of electricity between her and the ruthless cartel leader (Salma Hayek) using her as a bargaining chip, but Stone is too cowardly to let the hotties smooch, squandering the only energy Lively was able to muster for this potent strain of mess.—
Lizzie Logan,
Vulture,
2 May 2025 -
To his critics, his centralization of power and ruthless purge of opponents put Malaysia on an authoritarian trajectory.—
Charlie Campbell,
Time,
2 May 2025
Adjective
-
In Season 4 of the Max comedy (streaming weekly on Thursdays), Deborah (Jean Smart) is struggling to find her ground amid a merciless feud with head writer Ava (Hannah Einbinder).—
Erin Jensen,
USA Today,
3 May 2025
-
The math of those slices off the point totals was merciless: Should a big prep draw a field of less than five, a 50-point second place was reduced to a 25-point place showing, which can mean the difference between getting a stall in the Churchill gate and not getting to race.—
Guy Martin,
Forbes.com,
30 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
For example, while one team member might feel valued by direct and candid communication, another may interpret the same approach as brusque or insensitive, instead needing more consideration or attention.—
Aparna Rae,
Forbes.com,
1 May 2025
-
Macri used to see Bergoglio as an ally, but, as Pope, Francis criticized the President’s policies as insensitive to the most vulnerable, and received him in the Vatican only twice, the first time for just twenty minutes.—
Graciela Mochkofsky,
New Yorker,
21 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Sandoval has received some pay bumps, including a temporary $10,000-a-year bonus for Hawaii special education teachers designed to alleviate shortages in that and other hard-to-staff areas.—
Alia Wong,
USA TODAY,
14 Feb. 2023
-
Whether those numbers are an overstatement, or possibly an understatement, is hard to say.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes,
13 Feb. 2023
Adjective
-
However, the consensus is that the chaotic manner in which the recent US foreign assistance cuts were implemented was needlessly callous.—
Jennifer Lotito,
Forbes.com,
16 Apr. 2025
-
This callous action will especially hurt working families in our state, as Florida leads the nation with 4.6 million people enrolled in ACA health care coverage.—
Roxey Nelson,
The Orlando Sentinel,
3 Apr. 2025
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Cite this Entry
“Desensitized.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/desensitized. Accessed 13 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share