1
as in ruthless
having or showing a lack of sympathy or tender feelings
gave the homeless people on the street only an unfeeling glance
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in numb
lacking in sensation or feeling
her heart was as cold and hard as the unfeeling marble statue in her garden
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in inanimate
lacking animate awareness or sensation
she spoke politely even to the unfeeling virtual assistant on her phone
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of unfeeling
There’d be too much sympathy in watching this cookie get pulverized by unfeeling overlords.
—
Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 26 Feb. 2026
For example, 1975’s Welfare carefully documents the hoops that working people had to jump through to obtain welfare benefits at New York’s Waverly Welfare Center, representing the government as an intractable and unfeeling force.
—Vikram Murthi, The Atlantic, 22 Feb. 2026
Al Pacino has a small but memorable role as Hall’s father, presented as so greedy and unfeeling as to force us to think that maybe Kiritsis had a legitimate axe to grind.
—Mick Lasalle, San Francisco Chronicle, 5 Jan. 2026
The adversarial shapes work on humans, too—wearing thimbles to emulate the cold unfeeling steel of a robot and using two fingers in a pinching grasp, the researchers were able to verify that the objects were hard to pick up.
—IEEE Spectrum, 9 July 2019
See All Example Sentences for unfeeling
Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 26 Feb. 2026
For example, 1975’s Welfare carefully documents the hoops that working people had to jump through to obtain welfare benefits at New York’s Waverly Welfare Center, representing the government as an intractable and unfeeling force.
—Vikram Murthi, The Atlantic, 22 Feb. 2026
Al Pacino has a small but memorable role as Hall’s father, presented as so greedy and unfeeling as to force us to think that maybe Kiritsis had a legitimate axe to grind.
—Mick Lasalle, San Francisco Chronicle, 5 Jan. 2026
The adversarial shapes work on humans, too—wearing thimbles to emulate the cold unfeeling steel of a robot and using two fingers in a pinching grasp, the researchers were able to verify that the objects were hard to pick up.
—IEEE Spectrum, 9 July 2019
See All Example Sentences for unfeeling
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unfeeling
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 there are inanimate pets in the cemetery.—
Jennie Key,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
31 Mar. 2026
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On the morning after the hurricane, these objects revert to their inanimate status quo—but the deviation has been recorded, as fiction.—
Hannah Gold,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Mar. 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
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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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Foster was unconscious on the way down and the chute partially redeployed, carrying him past the drop zone and into a tree.—
Shelley Bortz,
CBS News,
13 Apr. 2026
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The unconscious Moon in your 2nd House of Values forms a supportive sextile to wounded-healer Chiron in your 4th House of Comfort.—
Tarot.com,
Sun Sentinel,
12 Apr. 2026
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
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So this is the ideal side gig for early birds who are happy to get their work done while the rest of the world is sound asleep.—
Kathy Kristof,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
13 Apr. 2026
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Upon arrival, officers found the driver still asleep inside the vehicle.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
12 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unfeeling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unfeeling. Accessed 15 Apr. 2026.
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