Insensitive

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ɪnˈsɛnsɪtɪv/

Definitions

1. Lacking awareness of or concern for the feelings and needs of others, often causing unintentional hurt or offense
2. Not responding to the emotional states or needs of others can lead to creating discomfort or distress in interactions
3. A failure to recognize the feelings or experiences of people may result in unintentional offense or pain

Etymology: "Insensitive" is a plain formation: the prefix "in-", meaning "not", attached to "sensitive". The prefix descends from a root shared with the Latin negative "in-", which English took in through Middle English, and it has been attached to words of Latin origin ever since. "Sensitive" itself comes from the Latin "sensitivus", from "sentire", "to feel" or "perceive", so the word's core idea is literally "not feeling" or "not perceiving." The sense it carries now, failing to notice others' feelings, grows naturally from that literal meaning. The word's first use was about bodies and senses, meaning lacking the ability to perceive physical stimuli, and only later came to describe a lack of emotional awareness. Most of the word's modern weight rests on the prefix doing its ordinary job: turning "feel" into "fail to feel."

Synonyms: unfeeling, indifferent, callous, unsympathetic, unresponsive

Antonyms: sensitive, empathetic, compassionate, considerate, tender