1
as in ruthless
having or showing a lack of sympathy or tender feelings
gave the homeless people on the street only an unfeeling glance
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in numb
lacking in sensation or feeling
her heart was as cold and hard as the unfeeling marble statue in her garden
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in inanimate
lacking animate awareness or sensation
she spoke politely even to the unfeeling virtual assistant on her phone
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of unfeeling
One solution is to create more positive role models for AI systems—at present, the canon mostly comprises murderous and unfeeling robots, like HAL 9000 and the Terminator.
—
Tharin Pillay, Time, 12 Mar. 2026
The truth is that state government is not some distant, unfeeling bureaucracy.
—John Atkinson, Chicago Tribune, 2 Mar. 2026
There’d be too much sympathy in watching this cookie get pulverized by unfeeling overlords.
—Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 26 Feb. 2026
For example, 1975’s Welfare carefully documents the hoops that working people had to jump through to obtain welfare benefits at New York’s Waverly Welfare Center, representing the government as an intractable and unfeeling force.
—Vikram Murthi, The Atlantic, 22 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unfeeling
Tharin Pillay, Time, 12 Mar. 2026
The truth is that state government is not some distant, unfeeling bureaucracy.
—John Atkinson, Chicago Tribune, 2 Mar. 2026
There’d be too much sympathy in watching this cookie get pulverized by unfeeling overlords.
—Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 26 Feb. 2026
For example, 1975’s Welfare carefully documents the hoops that working people had to jump through to obtain welfare benefits at New York’s Waverly Welfare Center, representing the government as an intractable and unfeeling force.
—Vikram Murthi, The Atlantic, 22 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unfeeling
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unfeeling
Adjective
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Noah Thomas’s life takes a dangerous turn when a chance reunion with an old high school friend, Parker Coleman, entangles him in a ruthless crime ring.—
Jon Stojan,
Variety,
18 June 2026
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Sean Connery first portrayed the legendary spy as a confident and ruthless Cold War warrior, while Roger Moore added camp and a gentlemanly touch to the role.—
Gieson Cacho,
Mercury News,
17 June 2026
Adjective
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The bullet hit close to his spine, leaving his legs numb.—
Luca Evans,
Denver Post,
21 June 2026
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Feeling numb or unable to experience emotions.—
Julie Kaplow,
USA Today,
30 May 2026
Adjective
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As a result, the concept of animal rights was non-existent and people were free to treat animals like any other inanimate property.—
Rob Toews,
Forbes.com,
22 June 2026
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Both cameras have extremely sticky tracking systems that focus on the eyes of people, wildlife, pets, and insects, as well as inanimate subjects like trains, planes, automobiles, and motorbikes.—
Jim Fisher,
PC Magazine,
13 May 2026
Adjective
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Having catalogued the Black Death’s horrifying effects, Ibn Khatima went on to outline a series of preventative measures and active treatments designed to combat this merciless scourge.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 May 2026
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The jokes on social media will be endless, and opposing fans will be merciless.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
20 May 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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She was found unconscious in the bay and had emergency brain surgery at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital the night of the crash.—
Grethel Aguila,
Miami Herald,
23 June 2026
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The man was unconscious and unresponsive after hitting the ground, police said.—
Landon Mion,
FOXNews.com,
23 June 2026
Adjective
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Oscar Wilde, for example, reposes beneath a hulking deity whose iconoclastic castration, back in 1961, did little to restrain pilgrims seeking to smear red lips across his stony physique.—
Emily Cox,
ARTnews.com,
22 May 2026
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Instead of looking like a sleek urban loft, the room can quickly start to feel cold, stony, and impersonal.—
Natasha Bazika,
Martha Stewart,
9 May 2026
Adjective
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When that fire started four years ago, Zowey McCue was asleep in a locked bathroom, where a plywood slab placed over the tub served as her makeshift bed, officials said.—
Caroline Silva,
AJC.com,
15 June 2026
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The memory foam layers adjust to your sleep position, which makes falling asleep easy.—
Audrey Lee,
Architectural Digest,
15 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unfeeling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unfeeling. Accessed 24 Jun. 2026.
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