1
as in callousness
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2
as in insensitiveness
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Recent Examples of insensitivity
Directness is often confused with insensitivity.
—
Jonathan Alpert Outkick, FOXNews.com, 25 Apr. 2026
The majority reported being treated rudely by providers, insensitivity regarding modesty requirements, or having their pain disregarded.
—Anisah Bagasra, The Conversation, 17 Apr. 2026
For Bravo, race has always been that lingering chink in its armor — and the latest burgeoning Summer House drama threatens to continue to chip away at the network’s feeble defense against claims of racial insensitivity.
—Shamira Ibrahim, HollywoodReporter, 8 Apr. 2026
Hicks, meanwhile, is facing allegations from Democratic candidates of bullying, elitism and racial insensitivity.
—ABC News, 5 Mar. 2026
One flashpoint came after comments related to standardized testing sparked accusations of racial insensitivity.
—Barnini Chakraborty, The Washington Examiner, 1 Mar. 2026
After a two-hour tale of comical deception, betrayal, emotional cruelty, insensitivity and obliviousness, the audience is expected to swallow a message of caring and community.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 27 Feb. 2026
My disappointment in Vigil came down to the waste of a perfect setup for exhibiting the worldly redemption of art—that is, its power to redeem us from insensitivity and self-satisfaction.
—Julius Taranto, The Atlantic, 27 Jan. 2026
Does their lack of kindness grant you permission to respond with equal insensitivity or even cruelty?
—Michael Isaacson, Sun Sentinel, 6 Jan. 2026
Jonathan Alpert Outkick, FOXNews.com, 25 Apr. 2026
The majority reported being treated rudely by providers, insensitivity regarding modesty requirements, or having their pain disregarded.
—Anisah Bagasra, The Conversation, 17 Apr. 2026
For Bravo, race has always been that lingering chink in its armor — and the latest burgeoning Summer House drama threatens to continue to chip away at the network’s feeble defense against claims of racial insensitivity.
—Shamira Ibrahim, HollywoodReporter, 8 Apr. 2026
Hicks, meanwhile, is facing allegations from Democratic candidates of bullying, elitism and racial insensitivity.
—ABC News, 5 Mar. 2026
One flashpoint came after comments related to standardized testing sparked accusations of racial insensitivity.
—Barnini Chakraborty, The Washington Examiner, 1 Mar. 2026
After a two-hour tale of comical deception, betrayal, emotional cruelty, insensitivity and obliviousness, the audience is expected to swallow a message of caring and community.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 27 Feb. 2026
My disappointment in Vigil came down to the waste of a perfect setup for exhibiting the worldly redemption of art—that is, its power to redeem us from insensitivity and self-satisfaction.
—Julius Taranto, The Atlantic, 27 Jan. 2026
Does their lack of kindness grant you permission to respond with equal insensitivity or even cruelty?
—Michael Isaacson, Sun Sentinel, 6 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for insensitivity
Noun
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The jury further determined that the crimes involved a threat of great bodily harm and demonstrated a high degree of cruelty, viciousness or callousness, the district attorney's office said.—
Richard Ramos,
CBS News,
18 June 2026
-
Hantz was turning callousness into spectacle and many viewers were hungry for it.—
Shaan Merchant,
Rolling Stone,
20 May 2026
Noun
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The thoughtlessness with which this bride coerced you into subsidizing her wedding was stunning.—
Judith Martin,
Mercury News,
23 May 2026
-
Its furnishings were anything but describable, having been conceived, manufactured, shipped, and sold in various states of thoughtlessness, greed, and indifference.—
Judith Shulevitz,
The Atlantic,
17 Feb. 2026
Noun
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These young graduates start out naive about the heartlessness of the corporate world and harbor illusory hopes for success in unforgiving professions.—
George Packer,
The Atlantic,
16 Mar. 2026
-
The lives of the two children in the story, aged fourteen and four, are portrayed as being as fleeting as the fireflies, and the story is an unsentimental and unflinching account with moments of both tenderness and heartlessness.—
Ginny Tapley Takemori
September 4,
Literary Hub,
4 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Her fierce intelligence helps paper over some of the screenplay’s rougher transitions, and even lends a measure of legibility to Sylvia’s sudden coldness.—
Natalia Winkelman,
Variety,
16 June 2026
-
The bureaucratic coldness of Bolshevik Communism and the violent regressions of Fascism were yet worse.—
Alex Ross,
New Yorker,
15 June 2026
Noun
-
China has gained, not suffered, from this obduracy.—
JONATHAN A. CZIN,
Foreign Affairs,
25 Nov. 2025
-
Related: ‘Neglected diseases’ are anything but neglected by the billion-plus people living with them One possible reason for this obduracy is that noma begins as a dental disease, and dental diseases have long been underappreciated global health concerns.—
John Button,
STAT,
16 Dec. 2023
Noun
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The new method led to a classification system that ranks a meteoroid's hardness.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA Today,
17 June 2026
-
An unexpected discovery Diamond is valued in advanced technology because of its exceptional hardness, optical properties, and thermal conductivity (Tc).—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
16 June 2026
Noun
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Practically overnight, Sylvia’s cozy attitude toward the girl hardens into coolness, impatience and neglect.—
Natalia Winkelman,
Variety,
16 June 2026
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Brit Pop often trafficked in ironies, distances, and coolness.—
Jerry Saltz,
Vulture,
15 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Insensitivity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/insensitivity. Accessed 21 Jun. 2026.
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