1
as in inanimate
lacking animate awareness or sensation
refused to believe that the universe as we know it evolved from the random interactions of insentient particles of matter
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in imperceptive
not having or showing a deep understanding of something
an insentient therapist who failed to see what the teenager's real problem was
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of insentient
This is partly because the loss of insentient machinery, no matter how expensive, is easier to stomach than the death of an aircrew.
—
Lauren Kahn, Foreign Affairs, 6 June 2023
But its shortcomings are essentially those of the novel: its single-track didacticism; its neat pitting of romantic idealists against macho, insentient normies; and the fact that a decisive plot twist can be spotted a mile off.
—Houman Barekat, New York Times, 29 Mar. 2023
Genes are insentient things and cannot be said to have any kind of purposeful selfish or unselfish behavior.
—Quanta Magazine, 14 Sep. 2017
Lauren Kahn, Foreign Affairs, 6 June 2023
But its shortcomings are essentially those of the novel: its single-track didacticism; its neat pitting of romantic idealists against macho, insentient normies; and the fact that a decisive plot twist can be spotted a mile off.
—Houman Barekat, New York Times, 29 Mar. 2023
Genes are insentient things and cannot be said to have any kind of purposeful selfish or unselfish behavior.
—Quanta Magazine, 14 Sep. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for insentient
Adjective
-
Celebrate by having a relaxing bath with your favorite inanimate waterfowl.—
Rosalind Bowling,
The Tennessean,
20 Dec. 2024
-
Reserve disinfecting products for inanimate surfaces only.—
Michele Cohen Marill,
WIRED,
28 Apr. 2020
Adjective
-
An unidentified woman in her 70s was found unconscious in the back seat behind the driver following the crash.—
Thomas Tracy,
New York Daily News,
14 Feb. 2025
-
On the SmackDown episode that aired on November 24, Cargill was found unconscious, bloodied, and left on the hood of a car.—
Kristan Hawkins,
Newsweek,
6 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Some of the replies were the usual stupid snark on social media from people who thrive on being negative.—
Pete Grathoff,
Kansas City Star,
13 Feb. 2025
-
The premise itself is both deeply stupid and incredibly clever (the sweet spot, really).—
Erin Strecker,
IndieWire,
13 Feb. 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
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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
Adjective
-
He could not be seen, just as the little black boy was not seen, or was seen inaccurately, by the unperceptive and disdainful white boy.—
Louise GlĂ¼ck,
The New York Review of Books,
14 Jan. 2021
-
Memory, conveyed by an unperceptive, mechanically flowing camera, seems disconnected from culture.—
Armond White,
National Review,
19 Nov. 2021
Adjective
-
That sometimes is thought of as an unwise Oscar strategy since playing that far in advance can lead to other films getting more attention at the fall festivals, but with many Cannes titles getting their North American premieres at Telluride or Toronto, that is becoming a moot point.—
Pete Hammond,
Deadline,
23 Jan. 2025
-
The officer corps must obey the president’s lawful commands, even if officers judge them unwise.—
Ronald R. Krebs,
Foreign Affairs,
14 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
Ratajkowski has been fighting the stereotype of the dumb model from the beginning of her career.—
Daniel Jackson,
Allure,
18 July 2017
-
Ninety nine percent of all NFL players are explicitly not dumb.—
Andy Benoit,
The MMQB,
10 July 2017
Adjective
-
Today, Sophia Smith, a Colorado kid whose commute from Windsor and dedication to soccer makes my story look silly, is making more than $500,000 a year in her new contract with the Portland Thorns, and reports say her outside contracts and sponsorships are worth another $1.2 million.—
Megan Schrader,
The Denver Post,
9 Feb. 2025
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The way bacon is packaged in this country is silly.—
Alana Al-Hatlani,
Southern Living,
8 Feb. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near insentient
Cite this Entry
“Insentient.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/insentient. Accessed 22 Feb. 2025.
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