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Synonyms

unfeeling

American  
[uhn-fee-ling] / ʌnˈfi lɪŋ /

adjective

  1. not feeling; devoid of feeling; insensible or insensate.

    Synonyms:
    numb
  2. unsympathetic; callous.

    an intelligent but unfeeling man.

    Synonyms:
    hardhearted
    Antonyms:
    sympathetic

unfeeling British  
/ ʌnˈfiːlɪŋ /

adjective

  1. without sympathy; callous

  2. without physical feeling or sensation

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Synonym Usage

See hard.

Other Word Forms


Etymology

Origin of unfeeling

before 1000; Middle English; Old English unfelende. See un- 1, feel, -ing 2


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Sports Editor Josh Robinson: If you only saw Erling Haaland on the soccer field, you would think he was some kind of a Norwegian Terminator: cold and unfeeling.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2026

When a nameless secretary drops a sheaf of papers, Kornev’s response to help is instinctive, yet we cringe at the careless faux pas he commits in this unfeeling society.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 26, 2026

A cool head, an unfeeling heart, and a cowardly disposition prompted him, at the age of nineteen, to assume the mask of hypocrisy, which he never afterwards laid aside….

From Salon ● Feb. 17, 2025

It’s what makes you a thinking, sentient being rather than an unfeeling mechanism.

From Scientific American ● Nov. 7, 2023

He smiled, but his eyes stayed cold and unfeeling.

From "Forged by Fire" by Sharon M. Draper

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