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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of insensitive
Macri used to see Bergoglio as an ally, but, as Pope, Francis criticized the President’s policies as insensitive to the most vulnerable, and received him in the Vatican only twice, the first time for just twenty minutes.
—
Graciela Mochkofsky, New Yorker, 21 Apr. 2025
In common, the two students have weathered racist or culturally insensitive conversations on campus and on Yik Yak.
—Stephen Humphries, Christian Science Monitor, 10 Apr. 2025
Shortly after the news broke, his longtime nemesis, 50, wasted no time adding fuel to the fire with a insensitive Instagram post.
—Amber Corrine, VIBE.com, 11 Apr. 2025
There, dysfunctional guests and hotel staff reveal new sides of themselves, all the while skewering insensitive tourists.
—Devorah Lev-Tov, AFAR Media, 14 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for insensitive
Graciela Mochkofsky, New Yorker, 21 Apr. 2025
In common, the two students have weathered racist or culturally insensitive conversations on campus and on Yik Yak.
—Stephen Humphries, Christian Science Monitor, 10 Apr. 2025
Shortly after the news broke, his longtime nemesis, 50, wasted no time adding fuel to the fire with a insensitive Instagram post.
—Amber Corrine, VIBE.com, 11 Apr. 2025
There, dysfunctional guests and hotel staff reveal new sides of themselves, all the while skewering insensitive tourists.
—Devorah Lev-Tov, AFAR Media, 14 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for insensitive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for insensitive
Adjective
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There’s an undercurrent of electricity between her and the ruthless cartel leader (Salma Hayek) using her as a bargaining chip, but Stone is too cowardly to let the hotties smooch, squandering the only energy Lively was able to muster for this potent strain of mess.—
Lizzie Logan,
Vulture,
2 May 2025
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To his critics, his centralization of power and ruthless purge of opponents put Malaysia on an authoritarian trajectory.—
Charlie Campbell,
Time,
2 May 2025
Adjective
-
Similarly, the seat was quite firm and left us numb after longer runs.—
Matthew MacConnell,
Forbes.com,
1 May 2025
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And then all of a sudden, my lips go completely numb.—
Stephanie Nolasco,
FOXNews.com,
26 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
This time, his assignment takes him to Serbia, as he is tasked with assassinating the merciless General Mile Valstoria (Peter Linka).—
Christopher Rudolph,
People.com,
10 May 2025
-
That was 12 years ago, and yet the talk about him continues here, the ghosts live on, and with merciless frequency Lerro privately relives the fateful morning in which a vicious storm descended upon him with no warning.—
Miami Herald Archives,
Miami Herald,
8 May 2025
Adjective
-
This version of Johnny is less callous with other people's feelings, and hopefully there's a self-awareness about what's driving that attention-seeking behavior.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
10 Apr. 2025
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The faceoff between Cara and the lion is an unmistakable callback to the series premiere, which opened with Cara gunning down a man in what initially appeared to be a callous act of violence (but is later revealed to be retribution for an assassination attempt on her family).—
Hunter Ingram,
Variety,
23 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
When the children are asleep, Charlotte and Raffi can grab the baby monitor and hop the balcony wall to their friends’ house.—
Rhaina Cohen,
The Atlantic,
11 May 2025
-
One of them is asleep, actually, or maybe dead already?—
Allegra Leal,
New Yorker,
9 May 2025
Adjective
-
While there may be unhealthy behaviors from both partners involved in an abusive relationship, one person tends to have more control than the other.—
Alyssa Goldberg,
USA Today,
17 May 2025
-
The complaint also alleged that Combs could be physically abusive to her, once stomping on her face and forcing her to hide in a hotel room for a week until her bruises healed.—
Rebecca Aizin,
People.com,
16 May 2025
Adjective
-
Tabo turns, in his mother’s eyes, into a cold and unfeeling stone.—
Robert Rubsam,
The Atlantic,
24 Mar. 2025
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So much modern football is mechanical and unfeeling; Joao Felix is loose and breezy.—
Jack Lang,
The Athletic,
9 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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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
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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 20 May. 2025.
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