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
Her complaint detailed inappropriate comments made in front of USC donors and staff, as well as insensitive or discriminatory remarks made in her presence.
—
Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2026
On the red carpet, a journalist made a racially insensitive comment about her hairstyle.
—Valentine Ulgu-Servant, Vanity Fair, 19 Mar. 2026
Modern mass spectrometry faces a sequential bottleneck because most instruments analyze molecules one by one, a process that is often too slow and insensitive to detect rare but key biological signals.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 18 Mar. 2026
Further, Barnhart said Kouros made an insensitive comment after Barnhart mentioned that a photo of her fiancé, who was killed in the line of duty, was displayed in the polling location.
—Alexandra Kukulka, Chicago Tribune, 17 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for insensitive
Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2026
On the red carpet, a journalist made a racially insensitive comment about her hairstyle.
—Valentine Ulgu-Servant, Vanity Fair, 19 Mar. 2026
Modern mass spectrometry faces a sequential bottleneck because most instruments analyze molecules one by one, a process that is often too slow and insensitive to detect rare but key biological signals.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 18 Mar. 2026
Further, Barnhart said Kouros made an insensitive comment after Barnhart mentioned that a photo of her fiancé, who was killed in the line of duty, was displayed in the polling location.
—Alexandra Kukulka, Chicago Tribune, 17 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for insensitive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for insensitive
Adjective
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Not many years ago, a ruthless man with an uneasy mind took power in his country and created a cult of personality.—
David Remnick,
New Yorker,
10 Apr. 2026
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The sequel picks up as Tyler Rake, back from the brink of death, gets hired to rescue a ruthless gangster’s family from prison.—
Rebecca Rubin,
Variety,
8 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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The passengers, including me, sat stoically in the dark, tired and numb.—
Louis Menand,
New Yorker,
13 Apr. 2026
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However numb fans are to the business of seemingly every level of sport, including third-grade kickball, seeing Schloss in a Texas uniform at Blue Bell Park is not going to go over well.—
Mac Engel
April 8,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
8 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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But in the shadows, amid growing unease at the bloodthirsty actions of the realm’s merciless Mad King, dissenters from his inner circle anxiously advance a treasonous plot.—
Ryan Brennan
April 3,
Charlotte Observer,
3 Apr. 2026
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The end was swift and merciless.—
Paul Sullivan,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
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
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Except every movie tends to get five buckets, while the rest of their time curdles into Tim sharing too much about his personal life as Gregg stares on, his stony, Buster Keaton-like face saying nothing and everything.—
Christopher Borrelli,
Chicago Tribune,
19 Mar. 2026
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That same stony resistance stymied Henry’s next attempt at commercial success, a parasol with a snap-on cover that could be changed to match a woman’s outfit.—
Shoshi Parks,
Popular Science,
19 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
My 13-year-old is finally asleep.—
Liz Koch,
STAT,
6 Apr. 2026
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The Masters champ sought help in 2017 after his first DUI arrest, also in the Jupiter are after police found Woods asleep at the wheel in a running car.—
Madeleine Marr,
Miami Herald,
3 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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The silence of the people around us did not erase our differences; the sound of the fireworks in the distance was a callous reminder of the disagreements that did exist.—
Eranda Jayawickreme,
The Conversation,
24 Mar. 2026
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Kimi is being quite callous about Missé sharing her story.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
13 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
One says, God can always see you with his unfeeling precision.—
Sandra Lim,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
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As the actor tells Glamour, most were written according to stereotypes and portrayed as cold, unfeeling, aggressive, or robotic.—
Sam Reed,
Glamour,
20 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Insensitive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/insensitive. Accessed 14 Apr. 2026.
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