Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
Definition: Insensitive |
InsensitiveAdjective1. Not responsive to physical stimuli; "insensitive to radiation". 2. Deficient in human sensibility; not mentally or morally sensitive; "insensitive to the needs of the patients". Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. |
Date "insensitive" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1790. (references) |
| The following table is compiled from various sources, across various languages. When English abbreviations or acronyms come from a non-English source, this is noted. | |||
| Entry | Source | Expression | Field |
| INEPT | English | Insensitive Nuclei Enhancement by Polarization Transfer | Physics |
Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references). | |||
| Antonym: sensitive (adj). (additional references) |
Crosswords: Insensitive |
| English words defined with "insensitive": benumb, blunt, boorishness ♦ callous, castigate, chasten, chastise, correct ♦ desensitise, desensitised, desensitize, desensitized, dull ♦ insensitively ♦ numb ♦ objurgate. (references) |
| Specialty definitions using "insensitive": AV sequential asynchronous ♦ blind spot of Mariotte ♦ case insensitive, case sensitivity ♦ dead time ♦ Herschel effect ♦ Nerve Transfer, non-return to zero inverse ♦ Receptors, GABA ♦ slurry blasting agents ♦ territe. (references) |
| Domain | Usage | |
Screenplays | I do care that you're an insensitive shrimp (Thank God It's Friday; writing credit: Armyan Bernstein) I tell ya, some people are so insensitive (Will & Grace; writing credit: Evan Weinstein) I'm crying cause I'm married to an insensitive dirfwad who instead of trying to make life better for his wife tape-records her to prove she's a terrible person (Everybody Loves Raymond; writing credit: Joe Bolster) Sorry I get a little bit insensitive, but I'm a hitman (The Man Who Knew Too Little; writing credit: Robert Farrar) | |
Song Titles | Insensitive (performing artist: Jann Arden) | |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | ||
| Domain | Title |
Books | |
Music |
|
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| Subject | Topic | Quote |
Health | Foodborne Disease Outbreak Surveillance System-- information on outbreaks only, passive, insensitive, and delayed. (references) | |
Identification of the ETEC is a difficult task, requiring sophisticated techniques that remain somewhat insensitive. (references) | ||
Our best methods for detecting enterotoxigenic E. coli and Shigella, for example, are insensitive and miss 30 to 40 percent of cases in outbreak or volunteer studies. (references) | ||
Business | The first graph shows that the local market for chromatographs withstood the recession of 1999 very well. Imports of gas chromatographs increased $486,000, while imports of liquid chromatographs increased by $207,000. This would tend to indicate that the market is somewhat recession-proof, responding to demand that is insensitive to economic conditions. (references) | |
Women | Malaysia | An April 1999 press report described complaints by NGO's and women's groups of rude and insensitive treatment by staff and officers of Islamic courts. (references) |
Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits. | ||
| Speaker | Phrase(s) |
Rush Limbaugh | You can't call a partisan a partisan because it would be considered offensive or insensitive. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| "Insensitive" is generally used as an adjective (general or positive) -- approximately 99.69% of the time. "Insensitive" is used about 323 times out of a sample of 100 million words spoken or written in English. Its rank is based on over 700,000 words used in the English language. Some parts-of-speech are not covered due to the samples used by the British National Corpus. (note: percents less than one-hundredth of one percent have been omitted) |
| Parts of Speech | Percent | Usage per 100 Million Words | Rank in English |
| Adjective (general or positive) | 99.69% | 322 | 16,053 |
| Noun (proper) | 0.31% | 1 | 339,140 |
| Total | 100.00% | 323 | N/A |
Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.
Expressions using "insensitive": acceleration insensitive drift rate ♦ case insensitive ♦ code insensitive system ♦ insensitive time ♦ range insensitive axis. Additional references. | |
| Hypenated Usage | |
Ending with "insensitive": are-insensitive, colour-insensitive, cycloheximide-insensitive. | |
Containing "insensitive": temperature-insensitive-Hall-constant. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| The following statistics estimate the number of searches per day across the major English-language search engines as identified by various trade publications. Hyperlinks lead to commercial use of the expression at Amazon.com. |
| Expression | Frequency per Day |
insensitive | 40 |
how insensitive lyrics | 40 |
insensitive munitions | 16 |
arden insensitive jann lyrics | 12 |
arden insensitive jann | 9 |
arden insensitive jan lyrics | 3 |
dentist effect insensitive mouth side | 3 |
how insensitive song | 2 |
arden insensitive jan | 2 |
dentist insensitive mouth post | 2 |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| Language | Translations for "insensitive"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses. | |
Albanian | i pandjeshëm (dead, hard-hearted, impassible, impassive, imperceptible, insensate, insensible, insentient, insusceptible, unfeeling), i ftohtë (algid, aloof, bleak, bloodless, brumous, chilly, cold, cold-livered, cool, cool blooded, crimpy, distant, frigid, frosty, frozen, gelid, glacial, offish, Parky, sexless, stilted, stolid, stony, winterly, wintry). (various references) | |
Arabic | متبلد الشعور, لا يشعر, غير حساس. (various references) | |
Bulgarian | нечувствителен (hard-grained, impassible, impassive, insusceptible, rocky), безчувствен (harsh, indurate, insensate, insensible, insentient, insusceptible, senseless, stockish, stolid, torpid, unfeeling). (various references) | |
Chinese | 厚脸皮 (Cheeky). (various references) | |
Czech | nevšímavý (oblivious), netaktní (indelicate, indiscreet, meddlesome, tactless, thoughtless), necitlivý (dead, insensible, thick-skinned, unfeeling, unresponsive, unsusceptible). (various references) | |
Danish | ufølsom over for lys (insensitive to light), superinfektion med ikke-foelsomme mikroorganismer (superinfection with insensitive micro-organisms), rækkeviddeuafhængig akse (range insensitive axis), kodeuafhængigt system (code independent system, code insensitive system), dødtid (dead time, delay, insensitive time, paralysis time), accelerationsuafhængig afdriftshastighed (acceleration insensitive drift rate). (various references) | |
Dutch | versnellingsonafhankelijke driftsnelheid (acceleration insensitive drift rate), superinfectie (superinfection), ongevoelige richting (range insensitive axis), ongevoelig voor licht (insensitive to light), dode tijd (dead time, delay, insensitive time), codeonafhankelijk systeem (code independent system, code insensitive system). (various references) | |
Farsi | کساد (Inactive, Off, Slack, Sluggish, Stagnant, Tight), کرخت (Numb, Soporific), غیرحساس (Insensible, Insusceptible), جامد (Exanimate, Inorganic, Rigid), بیحس (Callous, Impassive, Insensate, Insensible, Numb, Obtuse, Senseless, Unfeeling), بی عاطفه (Callous, Impassive, Inhuman, Insensate, Obdurate, Stolid, Unfeeling, Unkind). (various references) | |
Finnish | valonkestävä (insensitive to light), kuollut aika (dead time, insensitive time), koodiriippumaton järjestelmä (code independent system, code insensitive system), kiihtyvyydestä riippumaton ryömintänopeus (acceleration insensitive drift rate), kantaman neutraalisuunta (range insensitive axis). (various references) | |
French | insensible (insensate, insensible). (various references) | |
German | unempfindlich (Hardy, immune, impassible, impassibly, insensibly, inured, non-sensitive, practical). (various references) | |
Greek | ανεπηρέαστος, αναίσθητοσ (callous, cold blooded, impassible, insensate, insentient, senseless, unconscious, unfeeling), αναίσθητος (unconscious). (various references) | |
Hebrew | לא חש, לא ר'יש (insusceptible). (various references) | |
Hungarian | fásult (apathetic, apathetical, blasé, inert, lethargic). (various references) | |
Italian | insensibile (callous, coldhearted, dead, hard-hearted, heartless, heartlessly, imperceptible, indifferent, insensible, loveless, thick skinned, thick-skinned, unfeeling, ungiving, unkind, unkindly). (various references) | |
Japanese Kanji | 神経の鈍い (thick-skinned). (various references) | |
Japanese Katakana | し"けいのにぶい (thick-skinned). (various references) | |
Korean | 무 경한. (various references) | |
Manx | neuennaghtagh (insensible, stony-hearted, unfeeling). (various references) | |
Pig Latin | insensitiveay.(various references) | |
Portuguese | insensitivo (insensible), insensível (blind, callous, chill, cold-blooded, cold-hearted, coldlivered, flint-hearted, flinty, frozen, insensate, insensible, insentient, insusceptible, irresponsive, keen, laodicean, lukewarm, marble, seared, stony, unfeeling, unresponsive, unsusceptible, unsympathetic), indiferente (aloof, callous, chill, chilly, chippy, cool, devil-may-care, freezing, frigid, frosty, immaterial, impassible, incurious, indifferent, laodicean, listless, lukewarm, negligent, nonchalant, passive, pococurante, reckless, regardless, supine, unconcern, unconcerned, uninterested, unresponsive), impassível (coldlivered, cool, even, irresponsive, passionless, phlegmatic, plodder, stolid, unabashed, unconcerned, unmoved, unperturbed, unstirred). (various references) | |
Romanian | insensibil (callous, cold-hearted, dead, dull, hard-hearted, immune, imperceptible, impervious, indolent, insensate, insensible, insusceptible, irresponsive, obdurate, unfeeling), indiferent (all one, all the same, anywhere, apathetic, apathetical, careless, chill, cool, dull, impassive, indifferent, indifferently, inhuman, insensible, lackadaisical, languid, listless, nonchalant, numb, perfunctory, phlegmatic, pococurante, reckless, remiss, slack, slow, sluggish, stolid, unconcerned, unimportant, unmoved). (various references) | |
Russian | нечувствительный (case-hardened, impassible, impassive, insensible, insusceptible, non-sensitive). (various references) | |
Serbo-Croatian | neprijemljiv (insusceptible), neosetljiv (cold-livered, impassible, impassive, imperceptible, insensate, insensible, insusceptible, senseless, steel, stolid, stony, tearless, unfeeling, unsusceptible), bezosećajan (dryasdust, frozen, impassive). (various references) | |
Spanish | insensible (bloodless, cold-hearted, heartless, imperceptible, impervious, insensate, insensible, insusceptible, irresponsive, pachyderm, pachydermatous, regardless, thick-skinned, unfeeling, unresponsive), inconsciente (insensate, insensible, insentient, senseless, thoughtless, unacquainted, unaware, unconscious, unwitting), sin sensibilidad (insusceptible), entumecido (numb, stiff). (various references) | |
Swedish | okänslig (callous, dead, dull, immune, impassible, impassive, indifferent, insensate, insensible, insusceptible, refractory, unfeeling, unresponsive). (various references) | |
Turkish | taş kalpli (hard-hearted, obdurate, stony, stony hearted), katı yürekli (coldhearted, hard-hearted, obdurate, unrelenting), katı (callous, emphatic, emphatical, firm, fold, hard, hard and fast, hard boiled, hard line, ironclad, rigid, sclerous, solid, Square, steel, steely, stern, stiff, strict), hissiz (apathetic, apathetical, benumbed, bloodless, callous, crass, cruel, devoid of feelings, dispassionate, down to earth, impassible, impassive, indifferent, insensate, insensible, insentient, insusceptible, numb, senseless, soulless, torpid), duygusuz (apathetic, apathetical, as cold as charity, bloodless, blunt, callous, coldhearted, conscience-proof, devoid of feelings, dull, frigid, hard-hearted, impassible, insensate, marble, matter of fact, numb, obtuse, phlegmatic, phlegmatical, senseless, soulless, steel, stolid, stony, unemotional, unfeeling, unmoved), duyarsız (deaf, hard-hearted, immune, insensible, insentient, insusceptible, senseless, stolid, thick skin), anlayışsız (blind, blunt, dim, inconsiderate, purblind, undiscerning, unsympathetic). (various references) | |
Ukrainian | нечутливий (gross, impassible, impassive, insensate, insensible, non-sensitive, senseless, stockish, unfeeling), невразливий (invulnerable, non-sensitive). (various references) | |
Vietnamese | không có cảm giác; không nhạy cảm. (various references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various translation references. | ||
Derivations | |
Words beginning with "insensitive": insensitively, insensitiveness, insensitivenesses. (additional references) | |
| |
"Insensitive" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: insensative, insensetive, insensitize, insensitve. (additional references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references). | |
| # of Phoneme Matches | Pronunciation | Word(s) rhyming with "insensitive" (pronounced i'nse"nsutiv) |
| 8 | -s e" n s u t i v | hypersensitive, sensitive. |
| 5 | -s u t i v | fixative, laxative. |
| 4 | -u t i v | accusative, acquisitive, additive, affirmative, alliterative, alternative, anticompetitive, argumentative, causative, cognitive, commemorative, communicative, comparative, competitive, consecutive, conservative, consultative, contemplative, cumulative, curative, decorative, definitive, degenerative, demonstrative, derivative, diminutive, dispositive, duplicative, evocative, executive, expletive, exploitative, Federative, figurative, formative, fugitive, generative, illustrative, imaginative, imperative, indicative, infinitive, informative, initiative, inoperative, inquisitive, interpretive, intuitive, lucrative, narrative, negative, neoconservative, noncompetitive, noncumulative, nonexecutive, normative, nutritive, operative, palliative, participative, pejorative, positive, prerogative, preservative, preventative, primitive, prohibitive, provocative, punitive, putative, recuperative, relative, remunerative, rep, repetitive, representative, restorative, secretive, sedative, speculative, superlative, talkative, tentative, ultraconservative, uncompetitive, uncooperative, unimaginative, uninformative, unrepresentative, vituperative. |
| 3 | -t i v | accommodative, abortive, accumulative, active, adaptive, addictive, adjective, administrative, adoptive, affective, appointive, appreciative, assaultive, assertive, attentive, attractive, authoritative, automotive, captive, collaborative, collective, combative, conductive, congestive, connective, constructive, contraceptive, cooperative, corrective, corruptive, counterproductive, creative, deceptive, defective, deliberative, descriptive, destructive, detective, digestive, dilutive, directive, disincentive, disparages, disruptive, dissipative, distinctive, distributive, effective, elective, elucidative, eruptive, exhaustive, exploitive, facultative, festive, furtive, hyperactive, imitative, inactive, inattentive, incentive, ineffective, infective, injunctive, innovative, instinctive, instructive, interactive, introspective, invective, inventive, investigative, irrespective, iterative, legislative, locomotive, manipulative, meditative, motive, native, nonautomotive, nonnative, nonproductive, objective, obstructive, octave, overactive, perceptive, perspective, photoconductive, plaintive, predictive, preemptive, presumptive, preventive, proactive, probative, productive, prognosticative, projective, prospective, protective, qualitative, quantitative, radioactive, reactive, receptive, reconstructive, redemptive, redistributive, reflective, refractive, regulative, rehabilitative, reproductive, respective, restive, restrictive, retroactive, retrospective, seductive, selective, stimulative, subjective, substantive, suggestive, superconductive, supportive, unattractive, unproductive, unreceptive, vegetative, vindictive. |
Source: compiled by the editor (additional references); see credits. | ||
Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams | |
| Words within the letters "e-e-i-i-i-n-n-s-s-t-v" | |
-1 letter: intensives. | |
-2 letters: einsteins, intensive, sensitive. | |
-3 letters: einstein, invitees, nineties, sienites, tennises, tininess, veiniest. | |
-4 letters: intense, intines, invents, invests, invitee, invites, sennets, sennits, sestine, sienite, tennies, tensive, venines, viniest, vitesse. | |
-5 letters: envies, events, evites, insets, insist, intine, invent, invest, invite, nieves, niseis, seines, seisin, seniti, sennet, sennit, sevens, sieves, steins, tennis, tenses, venine, venins, visits. | |
| Words containing the letters "e-e-i-i-i-n-n-s-s-t-v" | |
+2 letters: disincentives, insensitively, intuitiveness. | |
+3 letters: definitiveness, diminutiveness, vindictiveness. | |
+4 letters: distinctiveness, imaginativeness, inquisitiveness, insensitiveness, insensitivities, intuitivenesses, nonuniversities, overintensities. | |
+5 letters: antiuniversities, definitivenesses, diminutivenesses, interventionisms, interventionists, intransitiveness, opinionativeness, reinvestigations, vindictivenesses. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro. | |
| 1. Definition 2. Crosswords 3. Usage: Modern 4. Usage: Commercial | 5. Quotations: Non-fiction 6. Quotations: Spoken 7. Usage Frequency 8. Expressions | 9. Expressions: Internet 10. Translations: Modern 11. Abbreviations 12. Acronyms | 13. Derivations 14. Rhymes 15. Anagrams 16. Bibliography |
Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
