insensitive
part of speech
adjective (insensitive, more insensitive); noun «insensitivity»
meaning for a pupil
1) Not noticing or caring about other people's feelings; saying or doing hurtful things. tree →
2) Not able to feel or react to something: insensitive to pain, insensitive to light. tree →
sense in the lessons
In PSHE lessons, an insensitive comment (about someone's looks, family or loss) hurts even if it wasn't meant to. In science, a measuring device or body part may be insensitive to small changes. Phrases: an insensitive remark, insensitive to, culturally insensitive.
examples
- Laughing at her haircut was insensitive. tree →
- It was insensitive to talk about the party in front of the boy who wasn't invited. tree →
- Some fish are insensitive to cold water. tree →
- The old scales were insensitive to tiny weights. tree →
- I'm sorry; that was an insensitive thing to say. tree →
- Being insensitive to pain can be dangerous, because pain warns us. tree →
note
Opposite: «sensitive». Usually followed by «to». Being insensitive is often by accident; saying sorry and listening helps.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «insensitive» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.