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as in unconscious
having lost consciousness if a choking person is insensible, you should lay them down on their back before performing the Heimlich maneuver

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as in insensate
lacking animate awareness or sensation even the canyon's insensible rocks seemed to mock the stranded climber's utter helplessness

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of insensible Also invited, for insensible reasons, is Neville’s first wife, Audrey (Ella Lily Hyland), blond to Kay’s brunette, for easy identification. Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 16 Apr. 2025 The ‘real’ Camille, meanwhile, has become an insensible, comatose carcass, although no one seems to notice. Damon Wise, Deadline, 24 Jan. 2025 Foreman tumbled downward in a dizzy, slow-motion-like crash, full-weight, a helpless giant, insensible. Mikal Gilmore, Rolling Stone, 17 Jan. 2025 The ‘real’ Camille, meanwhile, has become an insensible, comatose carcass, although no one seems to notice. Damon Wise, Deadline, 24 Jan. 2025 Foreman tumbled downward in a dizzy, slow-motion-like crash, full-weight, a helpless giant, insensible. Mikal Gilmore, Rolling Stone, 17 Jan. 2025 Or lobbyists can sometimes intervene and gain insensible exemptions from bans. IEEE Spectrum, 10 Feb. 2024 But the Cylinder Sling by Building Block flirts with such attitude without becoming rude or insensible. Los Angeles Times, 14 Sep. 2022 The novel positions him as insensible to agendas, hopelessly subject to the whims of the altruistic and the cruel. Washington Post, 15 Mar. 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for insensible
Adjective
  • During his new stand-up special, Jamie tearfully recounts his medical emergency that left him being unconscious for 20 days and waking up in a wheelchair.
    Sharareh Drury, People.com, 2 June 2025
  • Authorities found the vehicle’s driver unconscious and not breathing, police said.
    Rosalio Ahumada, Sacbee.com, 28 May 2025
Adjective
  • While auras may come from the realm of pseudoscience, all living beings do emit a faint light, invisible to the human eye—one that is extinguished upon death.
    Ian Randall, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 May 2025
  • Expertise demands lifelong humility, rigor and self-correction, much of it invisible to the public eye.
    Venktesh Ramnath, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 May 2025
Adjective
  • Throughout the book, ogling bystanders, nonchalant locals, and wannabes shooting their shot at stardom all add to the surrealist spectacle.
    Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 23 May 2025
  • Over the seasons, Tamburini has been offering sleek and sophisticated designs, yet with a modern touch, fluid shapes and a sort of nonchalant attitude.
    Luisa Zargani, Footwear News, 21 May 2025
Adjective
  • The brain, like other internal organs, is insensate, its lack of sensory receptors attested by videos of virtuoso violinists who play on unfazed as neurosurgeons go to work inside their skulls.
    Matthew Ponsford, WIRED, 19 Sep. 2024
  • But states have used midazolam alone — and at much higher doses — in executions since 2013, claiming the drug will render people insensate to pain before the administration of other lethal injection drugs.
    Lauren Gill, ProPublica, 29 Apr. 2023
Adjective
  • The survey examined a minimum of 1,000 comments per team and found less than 1% of posts made by fans of the Dallas Wings contained swear words or vulgar comments.
    Alyssa Cooper, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 30 May 2025
  • The program was incredibly close-knit—kids practiced most days of the week, and hung out almost exclusively with their fellow All-Stars, as well as with the vulgar, charismatic teacher who structured their lives.
    Air Mail, Air Mail, 3 May 2025
Adjective
  • Simone, still at the hospital, remains blissfully ignorant of Kiki’s vengeful turn.
    Caroline Framke, Vulture, 23 May 2025
  • Conservative media, once a proud home to voices like Charles Krauthammer, Jonah Goldberg, and Bill Kristol, now platforms ignorant Trump sycophants who have no use for conservative principles — or principles of any kind.
    S.E. Cupp, New York Daily News, 22 May 2025
Adjective
  • The hood protects your neck like the Wu-Tang Clan, while thumbholes, dropped shoulders, and imperceptible seams ensure an unimpeded, chafe-free range of movement.
    Drew Zieff, Outside Online, 16 May 2025
  • Researchers showed that by altering just a small number of pixels in the image—changes imperceptible to human eyes—the AI model misclassified the panda as a gibbon.
    Hessie Jones, Forbes.com, 3 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Reviewers raved about its flattering fit and versatile styling—wear the pieces together with gold accessories, or mix in basics like a white tee or denim jacket for more casual looks.
    Rosie Marder, Travel + Leisure, 26 May 2025
  • Meetings become hyper-efficient, emails are brief, and the casual chatter that once filled in the gaps disappears.
    Sho Dewan, Forbes.com, 26 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Insensible.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/insensible. Accessed 6 Jun. 2025.

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