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 of insensitive

• ruthless
• merciless
• stony
• callous
• abusive

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

My parents acknowledged that selling without a collective goodbye had been insensitive. —Chiara Barzini, Vogue, 9 May 2026

Among the benefits of employing a more diverse work staff, especially in leadership roles, include media content that is more culturally inclusive and aware, and less likely to be insensitive, offensive, or unfair to minority groups. —Encyclopedia Britannica, 7 May 2026

The next three lines modify Vim’s search behavior, making all-lowercase searches case-insensitive but keeping mixed-case searches case-sensitive and highlighting all the search results at once. —Lee Hutchinson, ArsTechnica, 6 May 2026

Our hands soon became insensitive, clumsy hooks. —Jim Hoagland, Outdoor Life, 30 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1834, in the meaning defined at sense 1b

Rhymes for insensitive

• hypersensitive
• photosensitive
• radiosensitive
• sensitive

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