insensitive

adjective

in·​sen·​si·​tive (ˌ)in-ˈsen(t)-s(ə-)tiv 

1

a

: lacking feeling or tact

so insensitive as to laugh at someone in pain

b

: not responsive or susceptible

insensitive to the demands of the public

2

: not physically or chemically sensitive

insensitively adverb

insensitiveness noun

insensitivity

(ˌ)in-ˌsen(t)-sə-ˈti-və-tē 

noun

Synonyms

• affectless
• callous
• case-hardened
• cold-blooded
• compassionless
• desensitized
• hard
• hard-boiled
• hard-hearted
• heartless
• indurate
• inhuman
• inhumane
• insensate
• ironhearted
• merciless
• obdurate
• pachydermatous
• pitiless
• remorseless
• ruthless
• slash-and-burn
• soulless
• stony
• stoney
• stonyhearted
• take-no-prisoners
• thick-skinned
• uncharitable
• unfeeling
• unmerciful
• unsparing
• unsympathetic

Examples of insensitive in a Sentence

He's just a rude, insensitive jerk.

It was insensitive of her to say that.

Recent Examples on the Web

Liking and sharing posts that are offensive, insensitive and hurtful was immature and disrespectful which was never my intent. —Greg Cote, Miami Herald, 4 Apr. 2024

Schroeder and Doute were on VPR for eight seasons before being fired in June 2020 for past racially insensitive actions. —Erin Clements, Peoplemag, 2 Apr. 2024

His stoking of culture wars pleased the GOP base but sometimes fizzled as policy, such as abortive efforts to create a tip line for parents to complain about teachers and principals and a rewrite of state history standards that was widely criticized as racially insensitive and inaccurate. —Gregory S. Schneider, Washington Post, 28 Mar. 2024

Without empathy to understand context, AI systems may provide irrelevant or insensitive feedback, causing frustration or even offense. —Stefan Pollack, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024

His advice hasn’t landed well with people frustrated by spending 26% more on groceries since 2020; on social media the campaign is being seen as insensitive. —Nicole Goodkind, CNN, 27 Feb. 2024

Retail clothing brand Zara became a boycott target after releasing a photo shoot in December that featured broken walls, rubble, and statues with missing limbs wrapped in white cloth, which activists called out as insensitive. —Sunny Nagpaul, Fortune, 18 Feb. 2024

Not being so insensitive as to rebuff clear expressions of empathy. —Jacobina Martin, Washington Post, 12 Mar. 2024

In 2021, six of Dr. Seuss’s books were pulled from shelves due to racist and insensitive imagery, Dr. Seuss Enterprises told the Associated Press. —Carly Tagen-Dye, Peoplemag, 1 Mar. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1834, in the meaning defined at sense 1b

Kids Definition

insensitive

adjective

in·​sen·​si·​tive (ˈ)in-ˈsen(t)-sət-iv 

-ˈsen(t)-stiv

: not sensitive

especially : lacking feeling

insensitively adverb

insensitivity

(ˌ)in-ˌsen(t)-sə-ˈtiv-ət-ē 

noun