insensitivity

C2+ Topic:Actions & Processes

US /ɪnˌsɛnsəˈtɪvəti/ UK /ɪnˌsɛnsɪˈtɪvəti/ See IPA manual

noun

Meanings

1

noun
lack of physical or emotional responsiveness; want of tact

His insensitivity to her grief made the condolence sound hollow.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · lack of physical or... callousness indifference tactlessness coldnessunresponsivenessnumbness

Opposites

sensitivity compassion tactfulness empathy

Word family

Related forms insensitive sensitive sense sensitivity

Etymology

From insensitive (from in- 'not' + sensitive, from Latin sentire 'to feel') + the noun suffix -ity, denoting the quality of lacking feeling or responsiveness.

in- Latin sentire Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Actions & Processes Word Formation & Derivatives

# insensitivity

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** ɪnˌsɛnsəˈtɪvəti
**IPA (UK):** ɪnˌsɛnsɪˈtɪvəti

## Meanings
1. lack of physical or emotional responsiveness; want of tact

## Examples
- His insensitivity to her grief made the condolence sound hollow.

## Synonyms
- callousness
- indifference
- tactlessness
- coldness
- unresponsiveness
- numbness

## Antonyms
- sensitivity
- compassion
- tactfulness
- empathy

## Related Forms
- insensitive
- sensitive
- sense
- sensitivity

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: in-
- Root: sentire

## Etymology
From insensitive (from in- 'not' + sensitive, from Latin sentire 'to feel') + the noun suffix -ity, denoting the quality of lacking feeling or responsiveness.

## AI Etymology
insensitivity comes from insensitive (from in- 'not' + sensitive, from Latin sentire 'to feel') + the noun suffix -ity, denoting the quality of lacking feeling or responsiveness. Morphologically, the ending is part of the etymology: the suffix is attached to the older base named in the history, producing a later English derivative. In present English, the noun sense is "lack of physical or emotional responsiveness; want of tact", so the historical development ends in a clearly identifiable modern dictionary use. The same base also appears in related forms such as insensitive, sensitive, sense, and sensitivity. Its semantic neighborhood includes callousness, indifference, tactlessness, and coldness, which helps locate the modern sense without adding a separate etymological claim. The named historical forms include Latin in- and Latin sentire.

## Topics
- Actions & Processes
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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