Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Having no physical feeling or sensation; insentient.
  • adjective Not sympathetic to others; callous or hardhearted.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Devoid of feeling; insensible; void of sensibility. Devoid of sympathy with others; hard-hearted; unsympathetic; cruel.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Destitute of feeling; void of sensibility; insensible; insensate.
  • adjective Without kind feelings; cruel; hard-hearted.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective Without emotion or sympathy

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective devoid of feeling for others
  • adjective devoid of feeling or sensation

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

un- +‎ feeling

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Examples

  • But then, cruel and unfeeling is probably how you have risen to the position you presently enjoy at State.

    Think Progress » ThinkFast AM: June 12, 2006 2006

  • Enemy Combatant has been praised in Britain for Begg's outstanding liberality of mind and evenhandedness toward his captors, some of whom are described as unfeeling brutes, others as decent human beings who become his "friends."

    The Prisoners Speak Raban, Jonathan 2006

  • It was a vile letter to have written — not because the language was bad, or the mode of expression unfeeling, or the facts falsely stated — but because the thing to be told was in itself so vile.

    The Small House at Allington 2004

  • I did not call her unfeeling long; for I perceived she was in purgatory throughout the day, and wearying to find an opportunity of getting by herself, or paying a visit to Heathcliff, who had been locked up by the master: as I discovered, on endeavouring to introduce to him a private mess of victuals.

    Wuthering Heights 2002

  • I have seen a child scolded and called unfeeling because it did not occur to it to make a theatrical demonstration of affectionate delight when its mother returned after an absence: a typical example of the way in which spurious family sentiment is stoked up.

    Treatise on Parents and Children George Bernard Shaw 1903

  • "Don't run upstairs alone; consider the butler's feelings!" called her unfeeling spouse after her.

    Pirate Gold Frederic Jesup Stimson 1899

  • It was a vile letter to have written -- not because the language was bad, or the mode of expression unfeeling, or the facts falsely stated -- but because the thing to be told was in itself so vile.

    The Small House at Allington Anthony Trollope 1848

  • I did not call her unfeeling long, for I perceived she was in purgatory throughout the day, and wearying to find an opportunity of getting by herself, or paying a visit to Heathcliff, who had been locked up by the master, as I discovered, on endeavouring to introduce to him a private mess of victuals.

    Wuthering Heights 1847

  • Mrs. Hale called her unfeeling for saying this; and never gave herself breathing-time till the basket was sent out of the house.

    North and South Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell 1837

  • I did not call her unfeeling long; for I perceived she was in purgatory throughout the day, and wearying to find an opportunity of getting by herself, or paying a visit to Heathcliff, who had been locked up by the master: as I discovered, on endeavouring to introduce to him a private mess of victuals.

    Wuthering Heights Emily Bront�� 1833

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