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
Another clue is pain or numbness at the site of the bite.
—
Shiv Sudhakar, FOXNews.com, 5 Sep. 2025
And yet, there’s a kind of collective numbness — a quiet normalisation of the unthinkable.
—Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 2 Sep. 2025
Though symptoms are unpredictable and most people have a different experience with it, common symptoms include numbness, weakness, trouble walking, vision changes and more, per Johns Hopkins.
—Ryan Brennan, Miami Herald, 29 Aug. 2025
According to the Cleveland Clinic, symptoms typically include changes to vision, muscle weakness, spasms, numbness, loss of balance and cognitive impairment.
—Alyce Collins, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Aug. 2025
That swelling can press on nerves, causing numbness or pain.
—Beth Warren, The Tennessean, 21 Aug. 2025
In severe cases, spine surgery is often the best option to alleviate the debilitating pain and numbness that are hallmarks of the disease.
—Aria Bendix, NBC news, 20 Aug. 2025
The most common side effect was mouth or tongue numbness, due to the drug's delivery method, which was temporary.
—New Atlas, 17 Aug. 2025
Some people have no symptoms, but others may feel pain, tingling, numbness or muscle weakness.
—Lisa Hagen, Hartford Courant, 11 Aug. 2025
Shiv Sudhakar, FOXNews.com, 5 Sep. 2025
And yet, there’s a kind of collective numbness — a quiet normalisation of the unthinkable.
—Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 2 Sep. 2025
Though symptoms are unpredictable and most people have a different experience with it, common symptoms include numbness, weakness, trouble walking, vision changes and more, per Johns Hopkins.
—Ryan Brennan, Miami Herald, 29 Aug. 2025
According to the Cleveland Clinic, symptoms typically include changes to vision, muscle weakness, spasms, numbness, loss of balance and cognitive impairment.
—Alyce Collins, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Aug. 2025
That swelling can press on nerves, causing numbness or pain.
—Beth Warren, The Tennessean, 21 Aug. 2025
In severe cases, spine surgery is often the best option to alleviate the debilitating pain and numbness that are hallmarks of the disease.
—Aria Bendix, NBC news, 20 Aug. 2025
The most common side effect was mouth or tongue numbness, due to the drug's delivery method, which was temporary.
—New Atlas, 17 Aug. 2025
Some people have no symptoms, but others may feel pain, tingling, numbness or muscle weakness.
—Lisa Hagen, Hartford Courant, 11 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for numbness
Noun
-
Rose, with her blonde waves and dark lowlights, had a striking resemblance to Avril Lavigne, while her music was flanked by the angst and apathy of Fiona Apple and Liz Phair.—
Ilana Kaplan,
People.com,
2 Sep. 2025
-
When anger starts turning into apathy, that’s a bad sign.—
Patrick Saunders,
Denver Post,
30 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Voisin — who played another hero of a French classic in Xavier Giannoli’s 2021 adaptation of Balzac’s Lost Illusions — carries the entire drama as a lost soul whose physical beauty (perfect jawline, killer abs) can hardly conceal the emptiness inside of him.—
Jordan Mintzer,
HollywoodReporter,
2 Sep. 2025
-
When Scout died, Watson was left grappling with an emptiness that followed her home each day.—
Ashley Vega,
People.com,
2 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The second is having either 10 or more pack years of smoking, or symptoms of cough, phlegm and trouble breathing.—
Katia Hetter,
CNN Money,
28 Aug. 2025
-
Diagnosis of Legionnaires’ disease is made via chest X-ray, urine test and lab analysis of a phlegm sample.—
Melissa Rudy,
FOXNews.com,
20 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
At the time of writing, there has been no message of gratitude towards Newcastle or the fans from Isak, potentially in response to the coldness of the club’s announcement.—
Harry De Cosemo,
Forbes.com,
2 Sep. 2025
-
The catch, though, is that this hard exterior is often misinterpreted as coldness or disinterest (which is why clear communication is so important).—
Jenna Ryu,
SELF,
26 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Notably, psychological detachment (truly unplugging) and physical activity during time away were the strongest drivers of improvement.—
Michelle Stansbury,
Forbes.com,
2 Sep. 2025
-
Using Zarm’s 479-foot-tall (146 meters) drop tower in Bremen, Germany, the team tested the technology, producing an increase in bubble detachment efficiency of up to 240%, which would translate to much more effective electrolysis cells and oxygen generation.—
Andrew Jones,
Space.com,
2 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Numbness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/numbness. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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