Meaning & use

insensitive

adjective·Academic

Lacking awareness of, or concern for, other people's feelings.

See it in a sentence

His insensitive comment about her weight left her hurt and embarrassed.

The company was criticized for its insensitive handling of the layoffs.

A note on using this word

Insensitive can also describe a lack of physical sensation, as in skin insensitive to cold, though the emotional sense is far more common.

Words with a similar meaning

calloustactless

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Words with an opposite meaning

sensitiveempathetic

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