1
as in ruthless
having or showing a lack of sympathy or tender feelings
gave the homeless people on the street only an unfeeling glance
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in numb
lacking in sensation or feeling
her heart was as cold and hard as the unfeeling marble statue in her garden
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in inanimate
lacking animate awareness or sensation
she spoke politely even to the unfeeling virtual assistant on her phone
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of unfeeling
The author renders the four-year-old Margaret’s inner life with sensitive complexity, depicting an alert child logic that defies adults’ view of her as slow and unfeeling.
—
The New Yorker, 12 June 2024
That’s because for decades, reptiles have been characterized as cold, unfeeling, and even primitive creatures.
—Lily Carey, Discover Magazine, 8 Apr. 2024
But as the film unspools and Agent Smith comes face to face with Neo and his master Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne), Weaving begins showing signs that this AI is not so unfeeling, not so unbothered after all.
—Manuel Betancourt, Los Angeles Times, 31 Mar. 2024
Theirs is a vast and unfeeling appetite for reassurance, and it must not be given room to grow.
—Harper's BAZAAR, 27 June 2023
See All Example Sentences for unfeeling
The New Yorker, 12 June 2024
That’s because for decades, reptiles have been characterized as cold, unfeeling, and even primitive creatures.
—Lily Carey, Discover Magazine, 8 Apr. 2024
But as the film unspools and Agent Smith comes face to face with Neo and his master Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne), Weaving begins showing signs that this AI is not so unfeeling, not so unbothered after all.
—Manuel Betancourt, Los Angeles Times, 31 Mar. 2024
Theirs is a vast and unfeeling appetite for reassurance, and it must not be given room to grow.
—Harper's BAZAAR, 27 June 2023
See All Example Sentences for unfeeling
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unfeeling
Adjective
-
The initial plan was to use the Indigenous Taino population to work the fields, but this population was quickly decimated by genocidal conquest, ruthless working conditions as well as novel diseases brought by the Europeans.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 July 2025
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The role of Chris Partlow, Marlo Stanfield's top lieutenant and ruthless hitman, was the first screen credit for Gbenga Akinnagbe.—
Derek Lawrence,
EW.com,
29 July 2025
Adjective
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These include feeling emotionally numb or that life is meaningless; experiencing difficulty accepting the loss; and experiencing confusion over their own identity.—
Issy Ronald,
CNN Money,
28 July 2025
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To be a sports fan in the modern era is to be at least somewhat numb to the steady drip of doping positives.—
Alex Hutchinson,
Outside Online,
25 July 2025
Adjective
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Thin bony fingers as inanimate as dry cigarette papers.—
Hazlitt,
Hazlitt,
16 July 2025
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Partners View all partners Tropical reefs might look like inanimate rock, but these colorful seascapes are built by tiny jellyfish-like animals called corals.—
Noam Vogt-Vincent,
The Conversation,
6 June 2025
Adjective
-
Private equity moving into professional sports conjures the same fears of merciless efficiency in an industry driven by sentimentality, but Arougheti brushes off the concerns, arguing that institutional capital will increase profitability and allow owners to invest more in their teams.—
Leo Schwartz,
Fortune,
21 July 2025
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Beyond the numbers is the human toll of Trump’s merciless campaign.—
South Florida Sun Sentinel,
Sun Sentinel,
21 July 2025
Adjective
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Fox also said that Matthews is not responsible for knocking unconscious the male victim seen in the viral video.—
Peter D'Abrosca , CB Cotton,
FOXNews.com,
1 Aug. 2025
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After Terrell was hit, according to the New York City Police Department, he was found unconscious on top of the train at the station.—
Brian Brant,
People.com,
1 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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But Bana is not as believable when asked to drop his stony demeanor and display vulnerability, a shortcoming that hampers his arc in the back half of the season.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
17 July 2025
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And most of those business people tend to have rather stony, cold, dead eyes.—
Andrew Tobias,
Vulture,
7 July 2025
Adjective
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These student-parents are balancing coursework with working full time, picking up their children from school and studying for long hours after their families are asleep.—
Rita Raichoudhuri,
Chicago Tribune,
23 July 2025
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Federal prosecutors found that during the police raid on March 13, 2020, Hankison blindly fired 10 shots into Taylor’s apartment but did not fire the bullets that killed Taylor, who was asleep in her bed, per a sentencing memorandum obtained by PEOPLE.—
Nicole Acosta,
People.com,
22 July 2025
Adjective
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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
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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
Cite this Entry
“Unfeeling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unfeeling. Accessed 5 Aug. 2025.
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