English Reference
Noun

numbness

n.
B2 Upper Intermediate US /ˈnəmnəs/ UK /nˈʌmnəs/ numb·ness UK spelling numbnesses

n.a feeling of not being able to feel anything, like when your hands or feet go cold and you lose all feeling. It can also describe a lack of strong emotions or a feeling of being disconnected from a situation.

n.a state of partial or total loss of sensation in a part of the body, or a psychological state of emotional detachment or lack of sensitivity.


SIMPLE

The numbness in my fingers went away after I moved them around.

CONTEXTUAL

After the long and difficult meeting, he felt a deep sense of numbness that made it hard to talk to anyone.

COMPLEX

The patient reported a sudden numbness in her left arm, which the doctor suspected was a sign of a neurological issue requiring immediate attention.


From numb + -ness.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Level B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency Occasional
Updated