1
as in unconscious
lacking animate awareness or sensation
the belief that God is immanent in all things, even insensate objects
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in ruthless
having or showing a lack of sympathy or tender feelings
an insensate boss who refuses to allow time off for funerals
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of insensate
The brain, like other internal organs, is insensate, its lack of sensory receptors attested by videos of virtuoso violinists who play on unfazed as neurosurgeons go to work inside their skulls.
—
Matthew Ponsford, WIRED, 19 Sep. 2024
But states have used midazolam alone — and at much higher doses — in executions since 2013, claiming the drug will render people insensate to pain before the administration of other lethal injection drugs.
—Lauren Gill, ProPublica, 29 Apr. 2023
Jerome Powell and his Federal Reserve colleagues are hardly insensate to the risk that their inflation-fighting actions might bring Mr. Trump back to power.
—Holman W. Jenkins, WSJ, 14 June 2022
Realigning themselves with sophomoric virtues, the stars sell their souls in accommodation to the insensate new era.
—Armond White, National Review, 28 Oct. 2020
Matthew Ponsford, WIRED, 19 Sep. 2024
But states have used midazolam alone — and at much higher doses — in executions since 2013, claiming the drug will render people insensate to pain before the administration of other lethal injection drugs.
—Lauren Gill, ProPublica, 29 Apr. 2023
Jerome Powell and his Federal Reserve colleagues are hardly insensate to the risk that their inflation-fighting actions might bring Mr. Trump back to power.
—Holman W. Jenkins, WSJ, 14 June 2022
Realigning themselves with sophomoric virtues, the stars sell their souls in accommodation to the insensate new era.
—Armond White, National Review, 28 Oct. 2020
Recent Examples of Synonyms for insensate
Adjective
-
Your 2nd House of Assets draws attention as the unconscious Moon conjoins information-gathering Mercury there, revealing habits that are shaping your financial journey.—
Tarot.com,
Baltimore Sun,
17 Mar. 2026
-
One young attendee could be seen lying unconscious in vomit in an alley along West Broadway while his friend called the police.—
Grace Zokovitch,
Boston Herald,
16 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The film centers on a car rental company owner who accidentally witnesses a murder, making him and his family targets of a ruthless gang.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
17 Mar. 2026
-
Inspired by the book and 2003 Belgian film De zaak Alzheimer, the Fox psychological thriller series trades on Dempsey’s decades of goodwill as a beloved romantic lead to turn a ruthless killer into an antihero worth rooting for.—
Max Gao,
HollywoodReporter,
16 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
This research lends even further support for the notion that an attachment figure, even if inanimate, plays a real role in emotional regulation for young primates.—
Scott Travers,
Forbes.com,
26 Feb. 2026
-
The fabric maven muses about how inanimate things receive memories.—
Robert Sullivan,
Vogue,
16 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
But the quagmire is made worse by the question of what audiences want in an age of abundant at-home entertainment options, tighter budgets and general fatigue from the merciless grind of modern life.—
Theater Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Mar. 2026
-
In between, the Ball Arena patrons were merciless in their jeering of the officials.—
Corey Masisak,
Denver Post,
11 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
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
Adjective
-
With a 15 percent slope and soils consisting of shattered rock and very stony loam with a small percentage of clay, the soil is low in organic matter and drains extremely well.—
Mike DeSimone,
Robb Report,
22 Feb. 2026
-
The sculptor, David Adickes, was an Army veteran who'd wanted his stony visages to gleam.—
Danielle Paquette The Washington Post,
Arkansas Online,
17 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The loss of books is minor, almost trivial, in light of all the horrors and violence unleashed by this senseless war, but the potential loss of these books is a sad reminder that we’re all affected and implicated in America’s savage flailings.—
James Folta,
Literary Hub,
17 Mar. 2026
-
Her stint in gritty BBC drama Damilola, Our Loved Boy retold one of Britain’s most tragic cases involving the senseless killing of a young boy and earned her her first BAFTA.—
Kemi Alemoru,
Glamour,
14 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Kimi is being quite callous about Missé sharing her story.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
13 Mar. 2026
-
This is the result of years of callous mismanagement and broken promises.—
Staff Report,
Hartford Courant,
9 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Insensate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/insensate. Accessed 21 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
