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
If the arteries are leading to the brain, symptoms may involve sudden numbness or weakness in the arms or legs, trouble speaking, slurred speech, sudden or temporary vision loss in one eye or facial drooping.
—
Charles Trepany, USA Today, 6 May 2026
Wayans also began experiencing pain in his feet, numbness in his toes, delirium and blurry vision.
—Samantha Agate, Miami Herald, 1 May 2026
Wayans also began experiencing pain in his feet, numbness in his toes, episodes of delirium and blurry vision.
—Samantha Agate, Sacbee.com, 1 May 2026
People may also notice numbness, tingling or burning in the hands or feet.
—Angelica Stabile, FOXNews.com, 24 Apr. 2026
The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) says symptoms depend on the patient, but MS can lead to muscle weakness, vision changes, walking problems, numbness, and more.
—Allison Degrushe, StyleCaster, 21 Apr. 2026
Symptoms differ from strokes caused by a blockage in the brain, as a spinal stroke causes pain in the neck or back that radiates through the limbs, muscle weakness or numbness, incontinence and loss of sensation, such as feeling touch or temperature changes.
—Cara Lynn Shultz, PEOPLE, 17 Apr. 2026
In sticking through these 30 minutes, numbness begins to feel aspirational.
—Joshua Minsoo Kim, Pitchfork, 13 Apr. 2026
What followed wasn’t numbness so much as a necessary adaptation for survival.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 7 Apr. 2026
Charles Trepany, USA Today, 6 May 2026
Wayans also began experiencing pain in his feet, numbness in his toes, delirium and blurry vision.
—Samantha Agate, Miami Herald, 1 May 2026
Wayans also began experiencing pain in his feet, numbness in his toes, episodes of delirium and blurry vision.
—Samantha Agate, Sacbee.com, 1 May 2026
People may also notice numbness, tingling or burning in the hands or feet.
—Angelica Stabile, FOXNews.com, 24 Apr. 2026
The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) says symptoms depend on the patient, but MS can lead to muscle weakness, vision changes, walking problems, numbness, and more.
—Allison Degrushe, StyleCaster, 21 Apr. 2026
Symptoms differ from strokes caused by a blockage in the brain, as a spinal stroke causes pain in the neck or back that radiates through the limbs, muscle weakness or numbness, incontinence and loss of sensation, such as feeling touch or temperature changes.
—Cara Lynn Shultz, PEOPLE, 17 Apr. 2026
In sticking through these 30 minutes, numbness begins to feel aspirational.
—Joshua Minsoo Kim, Pitchfork, 13 Apr. 2026
What followed wasn’t numbness so much as a necessary adaptation for survival.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 7 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for numbness
Noun
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Dancing with controversial men’s rights activists While Peters has maintained a general apathy toward political thought, that hasn’t kept him from cozying up to some of the most controversial figures in the manosphere.—
CT Jones,
Rolling Stone,
8 May 2026
-
If the passion wanes, apathy can set in.—
Senior Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
7 May 2026
Noun
-
Why do people team up around an emptiness, so much spent breath?—
Julian Bell,
The New York Review of Books,
25 Apr. 2026
-
The scene leaves us wondering about the sudden emptiness.—
Paul Sutter,
Space.com,
25 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
For the Hippocratic doctors, mania was a disease like any other, caused by an imbalance in the four humors: black bile, yellow bile, blood, and phlegm.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Apr. 2026
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And if salt and water start to move, so, too, does the phlegm that has been sitting dehydrated in the lungs of CF patients.—
Courtney Crowder,
USA Today,
10 Apr. 2026
Noun
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When Charles was set to come face to face with one of the brightest, youngest faces of American politics, New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, he was met with only a coldness and reminder of the crimes of British imperialism.—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
30 Apr. 2026
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The term implies godlike deftness and speed but also a certain impersonal coldness — skill at the expense of passion.—
Justin Davidson,
Vulture,
29 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Meanwhile, the Army recently established a new detachment for senior tech leaders, and its first four recruits included executives from Meta, Palantir, and OpenAI.—
Matteo Wong,
The Atlantic,
27 Apr. 2026
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The French detachment said the Russian planes didn’t have switched-on transponders, file flight plans or enter into radio contact.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
24 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Numbness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/numbness. Accessed 10 May. 2026.
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