unfeeling

[ uhn-fee-ling ]

adjective

1. not feeling; devoid of feeling; insensible or insensate.

   Synonyms: numb

2. unsympathetic; callous:

   an intelligent but unfeeling man.

   Synonyms: hardhearted

   Antonyms: sympathetic

unfeeling

/ ʌnˈfiːlɪŋ /

adjective

1. without sympathy; callous
2. without physical feeling or sensation

Derived Forms

• unˈfeelingly, adverb
• unˈfeelingness, noun

Other Words From

• un·feeling·ly adverb
• un·feeling·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of unfeeling¹

before 1000; Middle English; Old English unfelende. See un- ¹, feel, -ing ²

Synonym Study

See hard.

Example Sentences

It’s Tim, in the process of discovering his own voice, who soon recognizes in Hawk the unfeeling operator, the self-described “Switzerland,” the “coward,” and so poses the greatest threat to his position.

From Los Angeles Times

It’s what makes you a thinking, sentient being rather than an unfeeling mechanism.

From Scientific American

The conventional wisdom about insects has been that they are automatons—unthinking, unfeeling creatures whose behavior is entirely hardwired.

From Scientific American

Horse battles unfeeling bureaucracy to get his benefits; Lomper is visited by loan sharks.

From Los Angeles Times

As an unfeeling hunk of metal that could unsettle even the most dedicated tech utopian, though, Spot never had a chance.

From Los Angeles Times