insensitivity
/in'sensitivnis/ Cách viết khác : (insensitivity) /in,sensi'tiviti/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Noun:
- The inability to respond to affective changes in your interpersonal environment: The state or quality of lacking responsiveness or awareness to the feelings, needs, or circumstances of others.
- Lack of physical or emotional feeling; unresponsiveness: The condition of not being sensitive or reactive to physical sensations or emotional stimuli.
Usage
- General Use: Describes a person's characteristic or a specific instance of failing to perceive or react appropriately to emotional cues, pain, or subtle changes.
- Formal/Clinical Use: Used in psychology or medicine to describe a diminished capacity for emotional or sensory response.
Examples
- Noun:
- His insensitivity to her grief made the situation much worse.
- The doctor noted a patch of skin insensitivity around the wound.
- The manager's insensitivity to employee concerns led to low morale.
Advanced Usage
- "Emotional insensitivity": A specific lack of empathy or awareness of others' feelings.
- His emotional insensitivity often caused misunderstandings in his relationships.
- "Sensory insensitivity": A reduced capacity to feel physical sensations.
- The disease caused a progressive sensory insensitivity in his extremities.
Variants and Related Words
- Insensitive (adj): Lacking sensitivity.
- He made an insensitive remark about her weight.
- Hyposensitivity (n): Specifically reduced sensitivity to sensory input.
- Desensitization (n): The process of making less sensitive.
Synonyms
- Unfeelingness: Lack of feeling or compassion.
- Callousness: Insensitive and cruel disregard for others.
- Obliviousness: The state of being unaware or unconscious of something.
- Numbness: Lack of sensation or emotion.
Antonyms
- Sensitivity: The quality of being sensitive.
- Empathy: The ability to understand and share the feelings of another.
- Responsiveness: The quality of reacting quickly and positively.
Related Phrases/Idioms
- "To have a thick skin": To be insensitive to criticism or insults.
- Politicians need to have a thick skin.
- "To be tone-deaf" (figurative): To be insensitive to the nuances of a situation, especially social or emotional cues.
- His comments about the budget crisis were completely tone-deaf.
Noun
- the inability to respond to affective changes in your interpersonal environment