Meanings
comparative more insensitive · superlative most insensitive
- Expressing or feeling little or no concern, care, compassion, or consideration for the feelings, emotions, sentiments, or concerns of other people; inconsiderate or incompassionate.
Synonyms: ruthless, uncompassionate, unsensitive · Antonyms: compassionate, ruthful, sensitive
- Not expressing normal physical feeling.
It is something like the way dame Nature gathers round a foreign body an envelope of some insensitive tissue which can protect from evil that which it would otherwise harm by contact.
1897, Bram Stoker, Dracula, Westminster [London]: Archibald Constable and Company, […], →OCLCSynonyms: anesthetic, insensate, insensible, unsensitive, dead · Antonyms: sensate, sensitive
- Not expressing normal emotional feelings; cold; tactless; undiplomatic.
Oh I really should have known by the time you drove me home, / By the vagueness in your eyes, your casual good-byes, / By the chill in your embrace and the expression on your face, / That told me you might have some advice to give / On how to be insensitive.
1994, Jann Arden, "Insensitive" (song)1 more example
1895, Grant Allen, The British Barbarians Somehow, when Bertram Ingledew let it once be felt he did not wish to be questioned on any particular point, even women managed to restrain their curiosity: and he would have been either a very bold or a very insensitive man who would have ventured to continue questioning him any further.
Synonyms: harsh, rude, unsensitive, aweless, improper, bad-mannered, barbaric, bold · Antonyms: sensitive, tactful, warm
- Unreceptive, indifferent; displaying little openness or receptivity.
This early rigidification and satisfaction with his own conclusions made him insensitive to new political and philosophical ideas.
1978 [1976], Leszek Kołakowski, translated by P[aul] S[teven] Falla, Main Currents of Marxism, volume II: The Golden Age, Oxford: Clarendon Press, translation of Główne nurty marksizmu: rozwój (in Polish), →ISBN, →OCLC, page 35
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveExpressing or feeling little or no concern, care, compassion, or consideration for the feelings, emotions, sentiments, or concerns of other people; inconsiderate or incompassionate.
adjectiveNot expressing normal physical feeling.
adjectiveNot expressing normal emotional feelings; cold; tactless; undiplomatic.
More synonyms by meaning
adjectivedeficient in human sensibility; not mentally or morally sensitive
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*né
- Proto-Indo-European*n̥-
- Proto-Italic*n̥-
- Latinin-
- Middle Englishin-
- Englishin-
- Englishsensitive
- Englishinsensitive
Translations
Bulgarian нечувствителен, безчувствен
- нечувствителен (nečuvstvitelen)not having normal physical feeling
- безчувствен (bezčuvstven)not having normal emotional feelings, cold, tactless, undiplomatic
Catalan insensible, insensible
- insensiblenot having normal physical feeling
- insensiblenot having normal emotional feelings, cold, tactless, undiplomatic
Finnish tunnoton, turta
- tunnotonnot having normal physical feeling
- turtanot having normal physical feeling
- tunteetonnot having normal emotional feelings, cold, tactless, undiplomatic
- kylmänot having normal emotional feelings, cold, tactless, undiplomatic
French insensible, insensible
- insensiblenot having normal physical feeling
- insensiblenot having normal emotional feelings, cold, tactless, undiplomatic
Hindi असंवेदनशील, असंवेदनशील
- असंवेदनशील (asamvedanśīl)not having normal physical feeling
- असंवेदनशील (asamvedanśīl)not having normal emotional feelings, cold, tactless, undiplomatic
Hungarian érzéketlen, érzéketlen
- érzéketlennot having normal physical feeling
- érzéketlennot having normal emotional feelings, cold, tactless, undiplomatic
- tapintatlannot having normal emotional feelings, cold, tactless, undiplomatic
Japanese 平気な, 無神経な
- 平気な (heiki na)not having normal physical feeling
- 無神経な (mushinkei na)not having normal physical feeling
- 鈍感な (donkan na)not having normal physical feeling
- 平気な (heiki na)not having normal emotional feelings, cold, tactless, undiplomatic
- 無神経な (mushinkei na)not having normal emotional feelings, cold, tactless, undiplomatic
- 鈍感な (donkan na)not having normal emotional feelings, cold, tactless, undiplomatic
Norwegian Bokmål ufølsom, ufølsom
- ufølsomnot having normal physical feeling
- ufølsomnot having normal emotional feelings, cold, tactless, undiplomatic
Polish bezduszny, nieczuły
- bezdusznynot having normal emotional feelings, cold, tactless, undiplomatic
- nieczułynot having normal emotional feelings, cold, tactless, undiplomatic
Portuguese insensível
- insensívelnot having normal emotional feelings, cold, tactless, undiplomatic
Spanish insensible, insensible
- insensiblenot having normal physical feeling
- insensiblenot having normal emotional feelings, cold, tactless, undiplomatic
- insensitivonot having normal emotional feelings, cold, tactless, undiplomatic
- falto de sensibilidadnot having normal emotional feelings, cold, tactless, undiplomatic
Swedish okänslig, känslolös
- okänslignot having normal emotional feelings, cold, tactless, undiplomatic
- känslolösnot having normal emotional feelings, cold, tactless, undiplomatic
Turkish duygusuz, hissiz
- duygusuznot having normal physical feeling
- hissiznot having normal physical feeling
- anlayışsıznot having normal emotional feelings, cold, tactless, undiplomatic
- duygusuznot having normal emotional feelings, cold, tactless, undiplomatic
- katınot having normal emotional feelings, cold, tactless, undiplomatic
- katı yüreklinot having normal emotional feelings, cold, tactless, undiplomatic
Ukrainian нечутли́вий, нечу́лий
- нечутли́вий (nečutlývyj)not having normal physical feeling
- нечу́лий (nečúlyj)not having normal physical feeling
- нечутли́вий (nečutlývyj)not having normal emotional feelings, cold, tactless, undiplomatic
- нечу́лий (nečúlyj)not having normal emotional feelings, cold, tactless, undiplomatic
- нечу́йний (nečújnyj)not having normal emotional feelings, cold, tactless, undiplomatic
Cite this entry
insensitive. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/insensitive
“insensitive.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/insensitive. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “insensitive,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/insensitive.
Source: insensitive on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.