insensitive
/ɪnˈsɛnsɪtɪv/adjective
insensitive is spelled I-N-S-E-N-S-I-T-I-V-E. The wrong spelling people search most is insensative: about 20 Bing searches a month in the United States (September 2025 to August 2026), about 1 in 37 of all searches for the word. Insensitive is an adjective meaning “Expressing or feeling little or no concern, care, compassion, or consideration for the feelings, emotions…”.
How many letters and syllables are in insensitive?
| Letters | 11: I-N-S-E-N-S-I-T-I-V-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 2.8 times per million words; the 16,005th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | 1; the most searched, insensative, about 20 Bing searches a month (all of them) |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How do you spell insensitive?
Insensitive is spelled I-N-S-E-N-S-I-T-I-V-E. One wrong spelling is searched or written often enough to measure; together they are about 1 in 37 of the searches for insensitive in either form.
Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026). Wrong spellings are taken from Wiktionary entries tagged "misspelling" and its obsolete or nonstandard forms, Wikipedia's Lists of common misspellings and the codespell dictionary, then measured. The proofreader's marks show the change that corrects each one.
How common is insensitive?
Insensitive appears 2.8 times per million words in written English, the 16,005th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce insensitive?
- US /ɪnˈsɛnsɪtɪv/
Insensitive has 4 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-insensitive.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with insensitive?
One word on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as insensitive from its last stressed vowel (/ɛnsɪtɪv/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of insensitive
- more insensitive comparative
- most insensitive superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does insensitive mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Expressing or feeling little or no concern, care, compassion, or consideration for the feelings, emotions, sentiments, or concerns of other people; inconsiderate or incompassionate.
- 2
Not expressing normal physical feeling.
- 3
Not expressing normal emotional feelings; cold; tactless; undiplomatic.
- 4
Unreceptive, indifferent; displaying little openness or receptivity.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Insensitive in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | insensible |
| Spanish | insensible , insensitivo, falto de sensibilidad |
| Portuguese | insensível |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does insensitive come from?
From in- + sensitive.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).