Word
insensitive
Phoneticsin·sen·si·tive
US/ˌɪnˈsɛnsətɪv/
UK/ɪnsˈɛnsɪtˌɪv/
Definitions
01lacking empathy
adj. not noticing or caring about other people's feelings or needs.
adj. showing a lack of awareness or concern for the feelings and circumstances of others; tactless or inconsiderate.
“It was very insensitive of him to joke about her losing her job.”
“The manager's insensitive remarks regarding the recent layoffs caused a significant drop in staff morale across the entire department.”
Synonyms
Antonyms
02physically numb
adj. unable to feel physical pain or touch in a part of your body.
adj. deficient in physical sensation or unresponsive to external stimuli.
“After the surgery, his leg remained insensitive to pain for several hours.”
“The nerve damage left the patient's fingertips largely insensitive to heat, necessitating extra caution during daily activities.”
Technical
Usage
Often followed by the preposition 'to'.
Synonyms
Real-World Examples
“Harrelson seems selfish and insensitive compared with McConaughey’s convivial mateyness, but his bluntness often shakes his friend out of the fantasy world he lives in.” “So have other terms considered insensitive, such as master/slave and blackhat/whitehat .” Etymology
From in- + sensitive.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/insensitive