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
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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
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Recent Examples of insensitive
Even the most well-meaning people make the mistake of making racially insensitive comments.
—
Terri Huggins Hart, Parents, 1 Mar. 2026
Miller also has a history of posting insensitive content to his social media pages.
—Steven Rosenbaum, CBS News, 27 Feb. 2026
In addition to the challenges, the show’s photo shoots have been called out as inappropriate, dangerous and racially insensitive.
—Taylor Ardrey, USA Today, 26 Feb. 2026
During an interview with lawyers, Fusaro reportedly said the comment was not intended to be dehumanizing, sarcastic, dismissive or insensitive in any manner.
—Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 22 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for insensitive
Terri Huggins Hart, Parents, 1 Mar. 2026
Miller also has a history of posting insensitive content to his social media pages.
—Steven Rosenbaum, CBS News, 27 Feb. 2026
In addition to the challenges, the show’s photo shoots have been called out as inappropriate, dangerous and racially insensitive.
—Taylor Ardrey, USA Today, 26 Feb. 2026
During an interview with lawyers, Fusaro reportedly said the comment was not intended to be dehumanizing, sarcastic, dismissive or insensitive in any manner.
—Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 22 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for insensitive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for insensitive
Adjective
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Lydia, naturally, has her own reasons for pairing Agnes and Daisy together, evolving from a ruthless zealot and disciplinarian in Handmaid’s Tale into a kind of double agent looking to overthrow Gilead from within the hallowed halls of power in Testaments, as the finale set her up to do.—
Max Gao,
HollywoodReporter,
5 Mar. 2026
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After enduring a tough patch in business, fate changes his course, turning him into El Serpiente, a ruthless political strategist.—
Anna Marie de la Fuente,
Variety,
3 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The public at large is gradually becoming numb to our Palantirized surveillance state, and American communities are responding to the militarization of federal law enforcement with their own increasingly intricate webs of sousveillance.—
Sarah Jeong,
The Verge,
1 Mar. 2026
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Do not rub any affected area or use a heating pad or another device like a hairdryer to warm the skin because the person's skin may be numb and doing so may cause more damage to the skin.—
Yi-Jin Yu,
ABC News,
23 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Waltz lends a slimy charisma to the merciless SS colonel, who gets a satisfying comeuppance via carving knife.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
4 Mar. 2026
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These are two of the most conniving, merciless people on television, and they’re bonded by the twin desire to be more like the other.—
Amanda Whiting,
Vulture,
23 Feb. 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
-
High Street began to slope upward, and the terrain became stonier around the sides of the road as Revere and his horse, Brown Beauty, ascended Rock Hill.—
Kostya Kennedy,
Time,
16 Feb. 2026
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The area is populated with stony terraces and narrow streets where bistros serve good Italian food (this being so close to the Italian border) and markets to shop for artisanal items.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
9 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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After the staff trial, several employees reported their dogs had a blast and fell fast asleep on the way home from the mental stimulation of new sights and smells.—
Julia James,
Dallas Morning News,
2 Mar. 2026
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Because thirty-two years ago, the Orange County Board of Supervisors was asleep at the switch.—
John Moorlach,
Oc Register,
2 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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This is the result of years of callous mismanagement and broken promises.—
Staff Report,
Hartford Courant,
9 Feb. 2026
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But German timidity before Israel’s moral blackmail only partly explains Habermas’s callous attitude toward the country’s Palestinian victims.—
Sean Williams,
Harpers Magazine,
27 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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There’d be too much sympathy in watching this cookie get pulverized by unfeeling overlords.—
Kathryn VanArendonk,
Vulture,
26 Feb. 2026
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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
Cite this Entry
“Insensitive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/insensitive. Accessed 7 Mar. 2026.
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