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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The ruthless military officer with the monocle and the swagger stick who sends his men to senseless death and/or turns traitor.Mary McNamara, Los Angeles Times, 21 Nov. 2024
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Her wife and now-teenage daughter stood by her throughout the process, despite ruthless coverage from Mexican and Spanish news outlets, some of which continue to misgender and deadname her to this day.Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY, 21 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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Avoid using direct heat, like hot water or heating pads, because numb skin can quickly burn.Lindsay Curtis, Health, 1 Nov. 2024
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O’Connell tried to tough it out and stay in the game, but his thumb was numb.Ryan Canfield, Fox News, 21 Oct. 2024
Adjective
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Tragedies like these were confrontations — merciless verbal duels in which two characters plead their case, go on the attack, try to take each other apart.Sara Holdren, Vulture, 23 Sep. 2024
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And as long as that’s their take, merciless heckling of those umps should be, too.Rolling Stone, Rolling Stone, 29 June 2024
Adjective
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Despite the warmth of a beach vacation, getting invited to join a group that’s been so callous to you would feel like awfully cold comfort.R. Eric Thomas, The Mercury News, 11 Nov. 2024
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But what marks the shoot with an indelible stain of guilt is her callous indifference toward the well-being of the cast and crew, in her reckless quest to make the film as real as possible.Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 4 Sep. 2024
Adjective
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More than 40 people have been killed on CTA property since 2001, including four people who were fatally shot while asleep on a CTA Blue Line train last month.Will Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 17 Oct. 2024
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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
Adjective
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The industries have thrived on placing us in abusive power dynamics.Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 22 Nov. 2024
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Domestic violence can make Native Americans vulnerable to repeating abusive dynamics and can also play into human trafficking, victimization by outsiders and what psychologists describe as generational trauma as a result of centuries of war and abuse.Matt Robison, Newsweek, 21 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 1 Dec. 2024.
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