as in apathy
a lack of emotion or emotional expressiveness
the prisoner exhibited the numbness of someone who had spent more years behind bars than he could remember
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Recent Examples of numbness
Many American students expressed emotions hovering between numbness and heartbreak.
—
Leah Willingham, Fortune, 7 Jan. 2026
Epinephrine, or adrenaline, is added to lidocaine and other dental numbing solutions to shrink blood vessels, reduce bleeding and prolong numbness.
—Sandee Lamotte, CNN Money, 29 Dec. 2025
Meanwhile Sanchez allegedly experienced numbness in his upper leg.
—Colson Thayer, PEOPLE, 20 Dec. 2025
The main feeling wasn’t fear but shock and numbness—everything sounded as if through a blanket.
—Literary Hub, 18 Dec. 2025
Grief, anger, fear, outrage, and numbness, all of these are natural responses.
—Kriti Gupta, Refinery29, 17 Dec. 2025
This promotes pelvic tuck, rolling the pelvis backward and flattening the lumbar curve, compounding the problem of poor lumbar support as well as a feeling of pain and numbness in the legs.
—New Atlas, 16 Dec. 2025
Key signs to watch out for include numbness, changes in skin color and blistering.
—Ubah Ali, CBS News, 13 Dec. 2025
Signs of frostbite include redness, pain, numbness, and skin that appears white or waxy.
—Brandi D. Addison, Louisville Courier Journal, 12 Dec. 2025
Leah Willingham, Fortune, 7 Jan. 2026
Epinephrine, or adrenaline, is added to lidocaine and other dental numbing solutions to shrink blood vessels, reduce bleeding and prolong numbness.
—Sandee Lamotte, CNN Money, 29 Dec. 2025
Meanwhile Sanchez allegedly experienced numbness in his upper leg.
—Colson Thayer, PEOPLE, 20 Dec. 2025
The main feeling wasn’t fear but shock and numbness—everything sounded as if through a blanket.
—Literary Hub, 18 Dec. 2025
Grief, anger, fear, outrage, and numbness, all of these are natural responses.
—Kriti Gupta, Refinery29, 17 Dec. 2025
This promotes pelvic tuck, rolling the pelvis backward and flattening the lumbar curve, compounding the problem of poor lumbar support as well as a feeling of pain and numbness in the legs.
—New Atlas, 16 Dec. 2025
Key signs to watch out for include numbness, changes in skin color and blistering.
—Ubah Ali, CBS News, 13 Dec. 2025
Signs of frostbite include redness, pain, numbness, and skin that appears white or waxy.
—Brandi D. Addison, Louisville Courier Journal, 12 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for numbness
Noun
-
Unfortunately for her, apathy doesn't appear to be part of the recipe for a long and successful career at PTMC.—
Megan McCluskey,
Time,
8 Jan. 2026
-
After months of apathy and doubt, optimism is suddenly abundant.—
Paul Tenorio,
New York Times,
5 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The boy jerks his head as if to wake himself, turns around abruptly and looks the other way, even though there’s nothing special to see besides darkness and emptiness, which is where a living eye should never look.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Nov. 2025
-
Grogan isn’t alone in feeling the emptiness that can follow a massive milestone.—
Orianna Rosa Royle,
Fortune,
9 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Those sacs of air fill with fluid or pus, causing a cough with phlegm or pus, fever, chills and trouble breathing, according to the clinic.—
Rebecca Cohen,
NBC news,
16 Oct. 2025
-
With just enough codeine to wash the phlegm away, Veeze folds slapstick one-liners into audacious flexes like origami.—
Pitchfork,
Pitchfork,
30 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Large roof windows maximize natural light, and the interior decor makes use of coated plywood and glass to offset the coldness of the concrete.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
12 Dec. 2025
-
However, colors can also pull out negative emotions in people, such as defiance (red), coldness (blue), fear (yellow), and boredom (green).—
Daniel Fusch,
Ascend Agency,
11 Nov. 2025
Noun
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The woman reflected on her husband’s emotional detachment, explaining that his father had been abusive and that his death had brought relief rather than grief.—
Ashley Vega,
PEOPLE,
26 Dec. 2025
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Bébé’s rejection of her child and her emotional detachment are a common response, according to doctors, who describe not just a disconnect by rape survivors to their children but even efforts by some women to harm babies born of the attacks.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
12 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Numbness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/numbness. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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