Insensibility: meaning, definitions and examples

Typically used in medical or psychological contexts to describe a lack of physical sensation or emotional response.

• The patient's insensibility to pain worried the doctors.
• Her insensibility towards the distress of others was alarming.

This term is often used in a negative sense to describe a lack of empathy or compassion.

• The politician's unfeelingness towards the homeless population drew widespread criticism.
• His unfeelingness was evident when he laughed at the misfortunes of others.

Used when someone shows a lack of interest or concern about things that others find important or exciting.

• His apathy towards the election results surprised everyone.
• She couldn't understand his apathy regarding their future.

Refers to a state of being neutral or not caring about a particular issue or matter, especially when some level of concern is expected.

• The board's indifference to employee complaints created a toxic work environment.
• Her indifference to the outcome was evident.

Used here in a physical sense, referring to the inability to feel, often due to a medical condition or external factor. Not to be confused with emotional insensibility.

• After the accident, he experienced insensibility in his legs.
• The insensibility in her fingers made it difficult to grasp objects.

Commonly used to describe a temporary or permanent state where a part of the body has lost feeling. It can be due to various reasons such as cold, pressure, or nerve damage.

• Holding the ice for too long caused numbness in her fingers.
• After sitting in the same position for hours, he felt numbness in his legs.

This is a straightforward and descriptive way to indicate that a person can no longer feel in a particular area of the body. It can be used in both medical and everyday contexts.

• She felt a loss of sensation in her toes after the hike.
• The injury resulted in a temporary loss of sensation in his arm.

Typically used in a medical context to describe a state where sensation, especially pain, is temporarily blocked or reduced. It usually refers to a deliberate and controlled medical procedure.

• The patient was given anaesthesia before the surgery.
• Local anaesthesia was used for the dental procedure.