[Elamur Dictionary](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/insensible/)

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# insensible

adjective (insensible) — formal or old-fashioned

«insensible» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. (formal) Unconscious; not awake or aware: knocked insensible. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/insensible/#m1)
2. (formal) Not aware of something or not caring about it: insensible to the danger. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/insensible/#m2)
3. Not able to feel something: insensible to cold. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/insensible/#m3)
4. (old) Too small or slow to notice: by insensible degrees. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/insensible/#m4)
5. Not insensible to something means being aware of it and feeling its effect. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/insensible/#m5)

### In the lessons

In old novels and formal writing. It is a false friend: insensible does not mean the opposite of sensible (that is silly). Phrases: insensible to, knocked insensible.

### Examples

- The fall knocked him insensible. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/insensible/#x1)
- She seemed insensible to the cold wind. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/insensible/#x2)
- He lay insensible on the floor until the doctor came. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/insensible/#x3)
- The king was insensible to the suffering of the poor. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/insensible/#x4)
- Frozen fingers become insensible to pain. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/insensible/#x5)
- In the old story, the hero drank the potion and fell insensible. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/insensible/#x6)
- I was not insensible to the advantages of his proposal, and gladly assured him of my acceptance. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/insensible/#x7)

### Note

Trap: the opposite of sensible (wise) is silly or foolish, not insensible. Close words: unconscious, unaware, insensitive (unkind about feelings).

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «insensible» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/insensible/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«insensible» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/insensible.html) on Mova free.