1
as in ruthless
having or showing a lack of sympathy or tender feelings
an insensitive remark about his deceased wife that was incredibly rude
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2
as in numb
lacking in sensation or feeling
fingers rendered insensitive by the cold
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Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of insensitive
The Democratic vice presidential candidate also championed the redesign of the Minnesota flag to get rid of a design considered insensitive to Indigenous communities.
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Caitlin Looby, Journal Sentinel, 1 Oct. 2024
The hedge fund blames Southwest leaders, portraying them as hidebound and insensitive to changing consumer tastes.
—Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 27 Sep. 2024
Is that feasible, given that the US and Canadian market (roughly 76 million subscribers) is likely saturated and likely the only ones most insensitive to price increases?
—Shivaram Rajgopal, Forbes, 18 Sep. 2024
Lee’s insensitive claims then traveled 445.5 miles from Springfield, OH, to Washington, D.C., where Donald Trump referenced the misinformation to gaslight those who tuned in to the debate between himself and Vice President Kamala Harris in early September.
—Marc Griffin, VIBE.com, 18 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for insensitive 
Caitlin Looby, Journal Sentinel, 1 Oct. 2024
The hedge fund blames Southwest leaders, portraying them as hidebound and insensitive to changing consumer tastes.
—Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 27 Sep. 2024
Is that feasible, given that the US and Canadian market (roughly 76 million subscribers) is likely saturated and likely the only ones most insensitive to price increases?
—Shivaram Rajgopal, Forbes, 18 Sep. 2024
Lee’s insensitive claims then traveled 445.5 miles from Springfield, OH, to Washington, D.C., where Donald Trump referenced the misinformation to gaslight those who tuned in to the debate between himself and Vice President Kamala Harris in early September.
—Marc Griffin, VIBE.com, 18 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for insensitive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for insensitive
Adjective
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Peyser covered the high-profile trial for the Post as a columnist, spending every day in court in order to produce a series of ruthless front-page takes about the Stewart scandal.David Mack, Vulture, 7 Nov. 2024
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The standoff between Blanche’s impractical aestheticism and Stanley’s ruthless pragmatism is the heart of this quintessentially American drama.Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 4 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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Cold restricts blood circulation to numb pain and reduce bruising.Lana Barhum, Verywell Health, 2 Oct. 2024
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Handling and steering were neither numb nor abrupt, and the single foot brake stopped me quickly.Josh Max, Forbes, 25 Oct. 2024
Adjective
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Their idea involved merciless kills, a chainsaw, a group of youths and a homicidal family with a craving for human flesh; all set against the backdrop of a sunny, countryside day giving way to a nightmarish evening.Sydney Bishop, CNN, 31 Oct. 2024
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For most of them, the rigors of fighting on the eastern front only increased the value of fighting a merciless war—Hitler's war.Nina Turner, Newsweek, 29 Oct. 2024
Adjective
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Adult human beings—even the callous, tone-deaf, emotionally immature ones—demonstrate an understanding of death that is remarkable in its sophistication.Kathryn Schulz, The New Yorker, 28 Oct. 2024
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Prosecutors painted a picture of callous enablement that eventually ended in Perry’s tragic demise.Victoria Bekiempis, Vulture, 6 Sep. 2024
Adjective
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According to the scholar Maria Tatar, these were folktales shared among adults after hours, while the children were asleep.Jennifer Wilson, The New Yorker, 4 Nov. 2024
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Her cellmate was asleep on the top bunk as Upton paced and looked out of the cell door’s window.Christopher Damien, Los Angeles Times, 1 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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The role of Jane Chapman, the Monterey single mother and victim of rape by Kidman's character's abusive husband Perry Wright (Alexander Skarsgård), transformed Woodley from teen idol to serious actor.Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 1 Nov. 2024
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On March 22, about a month before her death, Mica Miller posted a video on Facebook offering advice to anyone who may be in an abusive relationship.Marco Rubio, Newsweek, 1 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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The author renders the four-year-old Margaret’s inner life with sensitive complexity, depicting an alert child logic that defies adults’ view of her as slow and unfeeling.The New Yorker, The New Yorker, 12 June 2024
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That’s because for decades, reptiles have been characterized as cold, unfeeling, and even primitive creatures.Lily Carey, Discover Magazine, 8 Apr. 2024
Adjective
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Sandoval has received some pay bumps, including a temporary $10,000-a-year bonus for Hawaii special education teachers designed to alleviate shortages in that and other hard-to-staff areas.Alia Wong, USA TODAY, 14 Feb. 2023
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Whether those numbers are an overstatement, or possibly an understatement, is hard to say.Lance Eliot, Forbes, 13 Feb. 2023
Thesaurus Entries Near insensitive
Cite this Entry
“Insensitive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/insensitive. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.
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