insensitive

C1 Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ɪnˈsɛnsɪtɪv/ See IPA manual

Freq #10645

Meanings

1

adj
Not caring about or noticing other people's feelings.

It was insensitive of him to joke about her recent loss.
2

adj
Not reacting to a physical effect or stimulus.

After the injury, the skin around the scar was insensitive to touch.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · not caring about or... callous tactless uncaring

2 adj · not reacting to a physical... insensible numb

Word family

Derived forms case-insensitiveinsensitivelyinsensitivenessinsensitivitymechanoinsensitivephotoinsensitiveradioinsensitive

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

insensitive remark
A comment that shows insufficient awareness of someone else's feelings or circumstances.

Adjective + noun

Etymology

From in- + sensitive.

Topics

Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# insensitive

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C1
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** /ɪnˈsɛnsɪtɪv/
**Frequency rank:** 10645

## Meanings
1. Not caring about or noticing other people's feelings.
2. Not reacting to a physical effect or stimulus.

## Examples
- It was insensitive of him to joke about her recent loss.
- After the injury, the skin around the scar was insensitive to touch.

## Derived Forms
- case-insensitive
- insensitively
- insensitiveness
- insensitivity
- mechanoinsensitive
- photoinsensitive
- radioinsensitive

## Etymology
From in- + sensitive.

## AI Etymology
Insensitive is from in- + sensitive. The analysis is mainly morphological: the modern adjectival form is built from the named base and affix. In present-day use, it can mean not caring about or noticing other people's feelings, or not reacting to a physical effect or stimulus. Derived formations include case-insensitive, insensitively, insensitiveness, insensitivity, mechanoinsensitive.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities
- Word Formation & Derivatives

markdown