insensible
part of speech
adjective (insensible) — formal or old-fashioned
meaning for a pupil
1) (formal) Unconscious; not awake or aware: knocked insensible. tree →
2) (formal) Not aware of something or not caring about it: insensible to the danger. tree →
3) Not able to feel something: insensible to cold. tree →
4) (old) Too small or slow to notice: by insensible degrees. tree →
5) Not insensible to something means being aware of it and feeling its effect. tree →
sense in the lessons
In old novels and formal writing. It is a false friend: insensible does not mean the opposite of sensible (that is silly). Phrases: insensible to, knocked insensible.
examples
- The fall knocked him insensible. tree →
- She seemed insensible to the cold wind. tree →
- He lay insensible on the floor until the doctor came. tree →
- The king was insensible to the suffering of the poor. tree →
- Frozen fingers become insensible to pain. tree →
- In the old story, the hero drank the potion and fell insensible. tree →
- I was not insensible to the advantages of his proposal, and gladly assured him of my acceptance. tree →
note
Trap: the opposite of sensible (wise) is silly or foolish, not insensible. Close words: unconscious, unaware, insensitive (unkind about feelings).
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «insensible» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.