1
as in unconscious
having lost consciousness
if a choking person is insensible, you should lay them down on their back before performing the Heimlich maneuver
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in invisible
not perceptible by a sense or by the mind
the fragile glass flowers can be damaged by even the most insensible tremors
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in nonchalant
having or showing a lack of interest or concern
city hall remains insensible to our complaints about the downtown parking situation
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in insensate
lacking animate awareness or sensation
even the canyon's insensible rocks seemed to mock the stranded climber's utter helplessness
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in vulgar
lacking in refinement or good taste
married an insensible brute upon whom the niceties of life were completely lost
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
6
as in ignorant
not informed about or aware of something
a scientist who usually is so engrossed in his work that he is quite insensible of the passage of time
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of insensible
The ‘real’ Camille, meanwhile, has become an insensible, comatose carcass, although no one seems to notice.
—
Damon Wise, Deadline, 24 Jan. 2025
Foreman tumbled downward in a dizzy, slow-motion-like crash, full-weight, a helpless giant, insensible.
—Mikal Gilmore, Rolling Stone, 17 Jan. 2025
Or lobbyists can sometimes intervene and gain insensible exemptions from bans.
—IEEE Spectrum, 10 Feb. 2024
But the Cylinder Sling by Building Block flirts with such attitude without becoming rude or insensible.
—Los Angeles Times, 14 Sep. 2022
The novel positions him as insensible to agendas, hopelessly subject to the whims of the altruistic and the cruel.
—Washington Post, 15 Mar. 2022
Armando Iannucci’s brilliant 2017 farce, The Death of Stalin, explores that question on a literal plane, with Stalin’s deputies frantically maneuvering for position while Stalin, not yet entirely dead, lies insensible and unattended on the floor.
—Timothy Noah, The New Republic, 22 Apr. 2022
Combat troops get inured to death, but Yaroslav’s comrades seemed to me beyond inured, insensible.
—New York Times, 16 Jan. 2022
Being sick also can lead to insensible fluid loss, such as sweating from fever or blowing your nose, Rosner says, while vomiting or diarrhea can exacerbate fluid loss.
—Washington Post, 22 Oct. 2021
Damon Wise, Deadline, 24 Jan. 2025
Foreman tumbled downward in a dizzy, slow-motion-like crash, full-weight, a helpless giant, insensible.
—Mikal Gilmore, Rolling Stone, 17 Jan. 2025
Or lobbyists can sometimes intervene and gain insensible exemptions from bans.
—IEEE Spectrum, 10 Feb. 2024
But the Cylinder Sling by Building Block flirts with such attitude without becoming rude or insensible.
—Los Angeles Times, 14 Sep. 2022
The novel positions him as insensible to agendas, hopelessly subject to the whims of the altruistic and the cruel.
—Washington Post, 15 Mar. 2022
Armando Iannucci’s brilliant 2017 farce, The Death of Stalin, explores that question on a literal plane, with Stalin’s deputies frantically maneuvering for position while Stalin, not yet entirely dead, lies insensible and unattended on the floor.
—Timothy Noah, The New Republic, 22 Apr. 2022
Combat troops get inured to death, but Yaroslav’s comrades seemed to me beyond inured, insensible.
—New York Times, 16 Jan. 2022
Being sick also can lead to insensible fluid loss, such as sweating from fever or blowing your nose, Rosner says, while vomiting or diarrhea can exacerbate fluid loss.
—Washington Post, 22 Oct. 2021
Recent Examples of Synonyms for insensible
Adjective
-
This was one of those overdoses that had the absolute reverberation of a slow-motion, unconscious descent into self-destruction.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
22 Jan. 2025
-
With the sun conjunct Pluto in Aquarius — shaking up your 12th house of closure, dreams, healing and unconscious patterns — you’re empowered with an inner knowing and deep sense of spirituality.—
Valerie Mesa,
People.com,
21 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
You’re left with skin that feels comfortable, purified, and protected, as if wrapped in an invisible shield against daily environmental damage.—
Christa Joanna Lee,
Allure,
19 Jan. 2025
-
The director conjures the house’s spectral presence by means of an unusual cinematic device that dominates the movie from start to finish: the camera embodies the perspective of that invisible character.—
Richard Brody,
The New Yorker,
17 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
Boone recalled this week Ichiro’s nonchalant response, which left Danley with more questions than answers.—
Chad Jennings,
The Athletic,
22 Jan. 2025
-
Kraft struggled with both physical and mental difficulties throughout his life, and his nonchalant attitude toward money often made his life difficult.—
Patrick Salland,
Kansas City Star,
20 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
The brain, like other internal organs, is insensate, its lack of sensory receptors attested by videos of virtuoso violinists who play on unfazed as neurosurgeons go to work inside their skulls.—
Matthew Ponsford,
WIRED,
19 Sep. 2024
-
But states have used midazolam alone — and at much higher doses — in executions since 2013, claiming the drug will render people insensate to pain before the administration of other lethal injection drugs.—
Lauren Gill,
ProPublica,
29 Apr. 2023
Adjective
-
Her involuntary outbursts cause Dupree to shout a number of things, such as comments about people around her and more vulgar language.—
Zoey Lyttle,
People.com,
17 Jan. 2025
-
Nearly 100% of the first film’s grosses were made in the U.S. — so few expected the spooky sequel about a vulgar poltergeist to connect in the territories across the pond and beyond this time around either.—
Rebecca Rubin,
Variety,
18 Dec. 2024
Adjective
-
Steph Curry was ignorant of the NBA history at stake.—
Marcus Thompson II,
The Athletic,
3 Jan. 2025
-
Russia, Iran, and many other countries criticize U.S. military interventions as arrogant, ignorant of local context, and unable to fashion either stable regimes or effective security structures.—
Alexander Baunov,
Foreign Affairs,
26 Dec. 2024
Adjective
-
Toyota’s Electronically Controlled Brake (ECB) system manages the transition between regenerative braking and hydraulic brakes so smoothly that the shift is imperceptible.—
Doug Newcomb,
PCMAG,
16 Jan. 2025
-
This is because minor changes in its illumination are almost imperceptible.—
John Mac Ghlionn,
Newsweek,
14 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
Find casual waffle knit pieces, sleek black sets, and more below—all $50 and below.—
Christina Shepherd McGuire,
Better Homes & Gardens,
26 Jan. 2025
-
Not as a character so much as a reference point in casual dialogue.—
Glynnis MacNicol,
Rolling Stone,
26 Jan. 2025
Articles Related to insensible
Thesaurus Entries Near insensible
Cite this Entry
“Insensible.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/insensible. Accessed 1 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share