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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in numb
lacking in sensation or feeling
fingers rendered insensitive by the cold
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 insensitive
At the time of the campaign’s launch, Regent James raised concerns that some of the images used by the campaign were racially insensitive and furthered misperceptions about the impact on the Black community.
—
Callie Rennison, Denver Post, 25 June 2025
The next step in permanently removing the village’s former seal, which some have said is insensitive, is a redesign of the village’s flag, which has the village’s former seal on it.
—Richard Requena, Chicago Tribune, 18 June 2025
Both create a larger blast than earlier bombs while being sufficiently insensitive to survive the shock of the initial strike.
—Deni Ellis Béchard, Scientific American, 18 June 2025
Victims’ families have complained over the years about the insensitive and unethical ways producers have approached them.
—John J. Lennon, Vulture, 30 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for insensitive
Callie Rennison, Denver Post, 25 June 2025
The next step in permanently removing the village’s former seal, which some have said is insensitive, is a redesign of the village’s flag, which has the village’s former seal on it.
—Richard Requena, Chicago Tribune, 18 June 2025
Both create a larger blast than earlier bombs while being sufficiently insensitive to survive the shock of the initial strike.
—Deni Ellis Béchard, Scientific American, 18 June 2025
Victims’ families have complained over the years about the insensitive and unethical ways producers have approached them.
—John J. Lennon, Vulture, 30 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for insensitive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for insensitive
Adjective
-
Son Hee is one half of a ruthless twin assassin duo, working alongside his brother Bacho.—
Allison DeGrushe Published,
EW.com,
14 July 2025
-
Her 6-0, 6-0 rout at the hands of a ruthless Iga Świątek was a reminder that no sport is more psychologically brutal than tennis.—
Charlie Eccleshare,
New York Times,
12 July 2025
Adjective
-
His leg went numb, but his sense of humor was unharmed.—
Bill Plunkett,
Oc Register,
12 July 2025
-
Europe, perhaps now numb to the threats from across the Atlantic, also stayed relatively calm with London’s FTSE and Germany’s DAX marking minor gains.—
Eleanor Pringle,
Fortune,
8 July 2025
Adjective
-
Beyond the numbers is the human toll of Trump’s merciless campaign.—
South Florida Sun Sentinel,
Sun Sentinel,
21 July 2025
-
Private equity moving into professional sports conjures the same fears of merciless efficiency in an industry driven by sentimentality, but Arougheti brushes off the concerns, arguing that institutional capital will increase profitability and allow owners to invest more in their teams.—
Leo Schwartz,
Fortune,
21 July 2025
Adjective
-
Sounds more like Lex Luthor at his most self-serving and callous.—
ML Cavanaugh,
Twin Cities,
20 July 2025
-
The fact that this news comes to us halfway through Pride Month is callous — as is the administration’s choice to remove the ‘T’ from the acronym ‘LGBTQ+’ in their announcement.—
Marlene Lenthang,
NBC news,
18 June 2025
Adjective
-
These student-parents are balancing coursework with working full time, picking up their children from school and studying for long hours after their families are asleep.—
Rita Raichoudhuri,
Chicago Tribune,
23 July 2025
-
Sharon and Ozzy were asleep in the back of the tour bus.—
Erik Hedegaard,
Rolling Stone,
22 July 2025
Adjective
-
The women's arrests uncovered a pattern of abusive teaching by Hildebrandt, and confirmed growing suspicions of critics who long questioned Franke’s strict parenting style on her popular 8 Passengers family vlogging page on YouTube.—
Sean Neumann,
People.com,
28 July 2025
-
Christopher McDonald, as Happy’s nemesis Scooter McGavin, and Ben Stiller, as abusive orderly Hal L, have also returned.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
26 July 2025
Adjective
-
Then, the men had to walk around as these unfeeling, aggressive, hyper-masculine creatures.—
Maureen Lee Lenker,
EW.com,
28 May 2025
-
Tabo turns, in his mother’s eyes, into a cold and unfeeling stone.—
Robert Rubsam,
The Atlantic,
24 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Sandoval has received some pay bumps, including a temporary $10,000-a-year bonus for Hawaii special education teachers designed to alleviate shortages in that and other hard-to-staff areas.—
Alia Wong,
USA TODAY,
14 Feb. 2023
-
Whether those numbers are an overstatement, or possibly an understatement, is hard to say.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes,
13 Feb. 2023
Cite this Entry
“Insensitive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/insensitive. Accessed 31 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share