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insensate

insensate

1 9.9
Having no feeling in body or mind and no pity
  • adjective
  • /ɪnˈsɛnseɪt/
: insensato
  • The insensate crowd failed to show any compassion for the struggling performer.

Examples

  • How I used to caress the ball, that seemingly insensate lump, cooling my forehead with it, scoring my chin with the sharp varnished stitches of the seam.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • Love is represented as illness, madness, death: "It's insensate, hopeless love -

    Fiction book (1993)
  • Without it, we are insensate of ourselves and therefore part of nature without effort.

    Blog text (18)
  • He is not conscious and not totally insensate.

    Academic text (2001)
  • In a purposeless, insensate manner, distraught by the magnitude of the disaster, most of them rush.

    Blog text (9)
  • You seem insensate to the fact that our current president is so morally corrupt that he pursues the deaths of children, by the millions, in the name of sexual freedom; you, ignoring the gravity of this monstrosity, think it a trifle that you can neglect in favor of promoting a particular social welfare program, etc.

    Blog text (15)
  • She felt completely insensate after hearing the tragic news about her friend.

  • In the freezing cold, the insensate numbness spread through his fingers and toes.

Synonyms

cold
vsinsensate
372 4.4

Unfriendly and distant in feeling or action

is broader by including both emotional distance and lack of physical sensation
insensitive
vsinsensate
119 4.6

Not showing care for other people's feelings or needs

has that lack of concern but also includes absence of physical feeling
numb
vsinsensate
75 4.1

Unable to feel or show emotion after something upsetting

includes that numbness but also covers physical lack of sensation and coldness
indifferent
vsinsensate
50 4.4

Not interested or showing no strong feeling about something

adds that indifference to a wider absence of physical feeling or compassion
apathetic
vsinsensate
24 6.8

Not showing much interest or energy

is similar but also implies absence of bodily feeling or active compassion
senseless
vsinsensate
20 4.2

Unconscious and unable to feel or respond

also implies emotional lack or absence of compassion, not only unconsciousness
unfeeling
vsinsensate
13 5.9

Not showing sympathy or care for other people's feelings

covers that emotional coldness but also lack of physical feeling or awareness
unsympathetic
vsinsensate
12 4.9

Not feeling sorry for someone or caring about their problems

is broader by adding an absence of physical sensation or general feeling
affectless
vsinsensate
1 9.3

A person who shows no emotion in the face or voice

is broader, applying to both lacking emotion and lacking physical sensation
insensible
vsinsensate
1 7.3

Does not notice or care about things that upset other people

adds that lack of awareness to a wider absence of feeling or compassion
insentient
vsinsensate
  • Specialized
1 9.9

Unable to feel or be aware of things

also covers emotional unfeeling and lack of compassion as well as sensation
highly insensitive
vsinsensate
1 5.5

Being very uncaring about other people's feelings

is similar in harshness but also covers bodily insensitivity and lack of compassion
indurate
vsinsensate
  • Formal
1 9.9

Not able to feel or show care for other people

is similar but also refers to lacking bodily sensation or awareness
impassible
vsinsensate
1 8.3

Not showing any emotion on the face

is similar but also suggests absence of physical sensation or compassion
inconscient
vsinsensate
9.9

Not awake and not aware of surroundings

is broader by including emotional coldness and lack of compassion too

Antonyms

424 2.9

Aware of and careful about other people's feelings

28 4.4

To understand and share other people's feelings

How Sensitive

responsive
87 4.0
sensitive
195 2.7
insensate
1 9.9
unfeeling
13 5.9
callous
41 7.3

Surface Forms

insensate positive

Morphology

insensate = sensate (transparent) = in + sensate

The negative prefix 'in-' combines in a regular way with 'sensate' to mean 'not having sensation or feeling.'

Etymology

The word insensate comes from in- meaning 'not' and sens- meaning 'to feel', the same root as sense and sensitive. So insensate means 'without feeling' and is used for people or actions that show no feeling, care, or awareness.