insensitive

[ in-sen-si-tiv ]

/ ɪnˈsɛn sɪ tɪv /

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See synonyms for: insensitive / insensitiveness / insensitivity on Thesaurus.com

adjective

deficient in human sensibility, acuteness of feeling, or consideration; unfeeling; callous: an insensitive person.

not physically sensitive: insensitive skin.

not affected by physical or chemical agencies or influences: insensitive to light.

not readily responsive or aware: insensitive to the needs of the peasants.

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Origin of insensitive

First recorded in 1600–10; in-³ + sensitive

OTHER WORDS FROM insensitive

in·sen·si·tive·ness, in·sen·si·tiv·i·ty, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use insensitive in a sentence

This announcement is even more relevant given the political turmoil that started 2021 and the quick action many brands had to take to ensure their advertising and organic messaging wasn’t insensitive or positioned poorly.
Facebook testing brand safety topic exclusions for advertisers|Carolyn Lyden|January 29, 2021|Search Engine Land
His subsequent horror at his own insensitivity, of course, provided fodder for a column!
The Year in Awful: Worst Columns of 2013|Michael Moynihan|December 31, 2013|DAILY BEAST
At which point you might be baffled by the laughable insensitivity, or unsettled and disgusted by this appropriation.
Are Narcocorrido Mexican Drug Ballads Really That Bad?|Jimmy So|November 24, 2013|DAILY BEAST
It is challenging—calling out some Jewish intolerance and insensitivity.
What Beinart Overlooks in His 'American Jewish Cocoon' Article|Gil Troy|September 4, 2013|DAILY BEAST

First came details of a lawsuit in which a former employee alleged racial insensitivity on the part of Deen.
Racism Is a Tough Sell: The Real Reason Everyone Dumped Paula Deen|Daniel Gross|June 28, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Moments later, I was receiving a long string of counter-tweets excoriating me for the supposed insensitivity of my comment.
Every Day is the Day to Talk About Gun Control|David Frum|December 14, 2012|DAILY BEAST
She displayed that remarkable insensitivity of females in situations productive of both pride and embarrassment.
Space Tug|Murray Leinster
All right, sometimes insensitivity could be a defense as it had at the sea gate.
Key Out of Time|Andre Alice Norton

British Dictionary definitions for insensitive

insensitive

/ (ɪnˈsɛnsɪtɪv) /

adjective

lacking sensitivity; unfeeling

lacking physical sensation

(postpositive foll by to) not sensitive (to) or affected (by)insensitive to radiation

Derived forms of insensitive

insensitively, adverbinsensitiveness or insensitivity, noun

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

insensitive

Origin of insensitive

OTHER WORDS FROM insensitive

Words related to insensitive

How to use insensitive in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for insensitive

Derived forms of insensitive