1
as in ruthless
having or showing a lack of sympathy or tender feelings
an insensitive remark about his deceased wife that was incredibly rude
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in numb
lacking in sensation or feeling
fingers rendered insensitive by the cold
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of insensitive
On the red carpet, a journalist made a racially insensitive comment about her hairstyle.
—
Valentine Ulgu-Servant, Vanity Fair, 19 Mar. 2026
Modern mass spectrometry faces a sequential bottleneck because most instruments analyze molecules one by one, a process that is often too slow and insensitive to detect rare but key biological signals.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 18 Mar. 2026
Further, Barnhart said Kouros made an insensitive comment after Barnhart mentioned that a photo of her fiancé, who was killed in the line of duty, was displayed in the polling location.
—Alexandra Kukulka, Chicago Tribune, 17 Mar. 2026
Her daughters still hear racial slurs at school, and students make insensitive comments about their hair.
—ABC News, 5 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for insensitive
Valentine Ulgu-Servant, Vanity Fair, 19 Mar. 2026
Modern mass spectrometry faces a sequential bottleneck because most instruments analyze molecules one by one, a process that is often too slow and insensitive to detect rare but key biological signals.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 18 Mar. 2026
Further, Barnhart said Kouros made an insensitive comment after Barnhart mentioned that a photo of her fiancé, who was killed in the line of duty, was displayed in the polling location.
—Alexandra Kukulka, Chicago Tribune, 17 Mar. 2026
Her daughters still hear racial slurs at school, and students make insensitive comments about their hair.
—ABC News, 5 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for insensitive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for insensitive
Adjective
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Others think Davie’s ruthless headcount reductions led to a brain drain, which in turn precipitated editorial errors that ultimately led to his resignation.—
Jake Kanter,
Deadline,
2 Apr. 2026
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Typewriters, stationery, fine-art museums, the quintessential impressionist painter—these are all associated with taste, beauty, and craft, as well as with intentionality and care, the opposite of the ruthless technological efficiency that repels many from generative AI.—
Matteo Wong,
The Atlantic,
25 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The roof is a manual Sky Slider design that feels a lot more on-brand than a numb push-button.—
Caleb Jacobs,
The Drive,
26 Mar. 2026
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Over time, your extremities go numb, which indicates the beginning of frostbite.—
Brad Stulberg,
Outside,
26 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The end was swift and merciless.—
Paul Sullivan,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Mar. 2026
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And the bracket carnage was swift and merciless.—
Ryan Brennan,
Kansas City Star,
20 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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When Bill’s older brother Henry (Barry Ward) finds the pianist in numbed solitude in his dingy apartment, Bill has canceled all his upcoming gigs, saying Scotty cannot be replaced.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Feb. 2026
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Ingber also notes the numbed response to these strikes from much of the American public, something that, in part, may come from the routine nature of these drone strikes as something that the nation has become desensitized to dropping bombs on enemies.—
Rebecca Schneid,
Time,
21 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Except every movie tends to get five buckets, while the rest of their time curdles into Tim sharing too much about his personal life as Gregg stares on, his stony, Buster Keaton-like face saying nothing and everything.—
Christopher Borrelli,
Chicago Tribune,
19 Mar. 2026
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That same stony resistance stymied Henry’s next attempt at commercial success, a parasol with a snap-on cover that could be changed to match a woman’s outfit.—
Shoshi Parks,
Popular Science,
19 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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He was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence in 2017 after being found asleep in a car that had its motor running and was still in a driving lane.—
Pat Saperstein,
Variety,
31 Mar. 2026
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This can have an impact on falling (and staying) asleep, as well as sleep quality.—
Desireé Oostland,
Vogue,
31 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The silence of the people around us did not erase our differences; the sound of the fireworks in the distance was a callous reminder of the disagreements that did exist.—
Eranda Jayawickreme,
The Conversation,
24 Mar. 2026
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Kimi is being quite callous about Missé sharing her story.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
13 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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As the actor tells Glamour, most were written according to stereotypes and portrayed as cold, unfeeling, aggressive, or robotic.—
Sam Reed,
Glamour,
20 Mar. 2026
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The truth is that state government is not some distant, unfeeling bureaucracy.—
John Atkinson,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Insensitive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/insensitive. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
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