sensible

sensible

English

Etymology

From Latin sēnsibilis (“perceptible by the senses, having feeling, sensible”), from sentiō (“to feel, perceive”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈsɛn.sɪ.bəl/, [ˈsɛn.sɪ.bl̩]
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈsɛn.sə.bəl/, [ˈsɛn.sə.bl̩]

  • Audio (US)

    (file)

Adjective

sensible (comparative more sensible, superlative most sensible or sensiblest)

1. Acting with or showing good sense; able to make good judgements based on reason, or reflecting such ability.
   • 2005, Plato, Sophist. Translation by Lesley Brown. 230b.

     They ask questions of someone who thinks he's got something sensible to say on some matter when actually he hasn't.

   Synonym: reasonable

   Coordinate terms: prudent, wise, appropriate

2. Characterized more by usefulness, practicality, or comfort than by attractiveness, formality, or fashionableness, especially of clothing.

   I only wear high heels on formal occasions; otherwise, I prefer sensible shoes.

   • 1985, "Weird Al" Yankovic (lyrics and music), “Dare to Be Stupid”, in Dare to Be Stupid, performed by "Weird Al" Yankovic:

     Settle down, raise a family, join the PTA
     Buy some sensible shoes and a Chevrolet

   • 1999, Neil Gaiman, Stardust (2001 Perennial Edition), page 8,

     They would walk, on fair evenings, around the village, and discuss the theory of crop rotation, and the weather, and other such sensible matters.

3. (especially formally) Able to be sensed by the senses or the psyche; able to be perceived.
   • 1751, John Arbuthnot, An Essay Concerning the Effects of Air on Human Bodies (page 1)

     Air is sensible to the Touch by its Motion, and by its Resistance to Bodies moved in it.

   • 1778, William Lewis, The New Dispensatory (page 91)

     The sensible qualities of argentina promise no great virtue of this kind; for to the taste it discovers only a slight roughishness, from whence it may be presumed to be entitled to a place only among the milder corroborants.

   • 1902, William James, The Varieties of Religious Experience, Folio Society 2008, page 45:

     It has been vouchsafed, for example, to very few Christian believers to have had a sensible vision of their Saviour.

   • 1690, William Temple, “Of Heroick Virtue”, in Miscellanea. The Second Part. [...], 2nd edition, London: […] J. R. for Ri[chard] and Ra[lph] Simpson, […], OCLC 863624292, section III, page 207:

     [T]he diſgrace was more ſensible than the pain.

   • 1776 March 9, Adam Smith, chapter 11, in An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations. […], volume I, London: […] W[illiam] Strahan; and T[homas] Cadell, […], OCLC 762139, book I (Of the Causes of Improvement in the Productive Powers of Labour, […]), page 241:

     The discovery of the mines of America […] does not seem to have had any very sensible effect upon the prices of things in England.

   Synonyms: perceptible, appreciable, detectable

   Antonyms: insensible, imperceptible, unappreciable, undetectable

4. (archaic) Able to feel or perceive.
   • c. 1608–1609 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedy of Coriolanus”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act I, scene iii]:

     Would your cambric were sensible as your finger.

5. (archaic) Liable to external impression; easily affected; sensitive.

   a sensible thermometer

   • c. 1596–1598 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merchant of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act II, scene viii]:

     with affection wondrous sensible

6. (archaic) Of or pertaining to the senses; sensory.
7. (archaic) Cognizant; having the perception of something; aware of something.
   • 1689 (indicated as 1690), [John Locke], An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding. […], London: […] Eliz[abeth] Holt, for Thomas Basset, […], OCLC 153628242:

     , Book II, Chapter I

     He cannot think at any time, waking or sleeping, without being sensible of it.

   • 1810, Thomas Green, Extracts from the diary of a lover of literature

     we are now sensible that it would have been absurd

   • 1749, [John Cleland], “[Letter the First]”, in Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure [Fanny Hill], volume I, London: […] G. Fenton [i.e., Fenton and Ralph Griffiths] […], OCLC 731622352, pages 213–214:

     Diſingaging myſelf then from his embrace, I made him ſenſible of the reaſons there were for his preſent leaving me; on which, tho' reluctantly, he put on his cloaths with as little expedition, however, as he could help, wantonly interrupting himſelf between whiles, with kiſſes, touches, and embraces, I could not refuſe myſelf to; [...]

Usage notes

• "Sensible" describes the reasonable way in which a person may think about things or do things:

  It wouldn't be sensible to start all over again now.

It is not comparable to its cognates in certain languages (see below at Translations section).

• "Sensitive" describes an emotional way in which a person may react to things:

  He has always been a sensitive child.

  I didn’t realize she was so sensitive about her work.

Related terms

• sense
• sensory
• sensual
• sensuous
• supersensible

Translations

perceptible by the mind

Afrikaans: waarneembaar Bulgarian: осезаем (bg) (osezaem) Catalan: perceptible Dutch: waarneembaar (nl), merkbaar (nl) German: wahrnehmbar (de) Irish: inchéadfaithe Italian: percepibile (it) Lithuanian: suvokiamas protu m Romanian: perceptibil (ro) m or n, observabil (ro) m or n, sesizabil (ro) m or n Russian: ощути́мый (ru) (oščutímyj)

easily perceived, appreciable

Bulgarian: забележим (bg) (zabeležim) Catalan: apreciable Dutch: merkbaar (nl), aanzienlijk (nl), aanwijsbaar (nl) Finnish: ymmärrettävä (fi) German: spürbar (de) Irish: inchéadfaithe Italian: apprezzabile (it) Lithuanian: lengvai suvokiamas m pl Romanian: considerabil (ro), apreciabil (ro), mare (ro) Russian: ощути́мый (ru) (oščutímyj) Turkish: hissedilir, gözle görülür (idiomatic), dişe dokunur (idiomatic)

able to feel or perceive

Bulgarian: чувствителен (bg) (čuvstvitelen) Catalan: sensible (ca) Dutch: gevoelig (nl) French: sensible (fr) German: der Empfindung fähig (literary) Irish: céadfach, céadfaíoch Italian: sensibile (it) Kurdish: Central Kurdish: عاقڵ‎ ('aqill) Lithuanian: pajėgus pajusti ar suvokti pl Romanian: simțitor (ro), sensibil (ro) Russian: восприи́мчивый (ru) (vospriímčivyj), чувстви́тельный (ru) (čuvstvítelʹnyj) Turkish: duygun (tr)

aware of something

Catalan: conscient (ca), sabedor, coneixedor Dutch: (zich) bewust Finnish: tietoinen (fi) German: gewahr (de) (archaic, elevated) Italian: razionale (it) Romanian: rațional (ro) m or n, conștient (ro) m or n, inteligent (ro) m or n Russian: сознаю́щий (ru) (soznajúščij), зна́ющий (ru) (znájuščij) Turkish: ayırdında (olmak), farkında (tr) (olmak)

acting with or showing good judgement

Bulgarian: благоразумен (bg) (blagorazumen) Catalan: sensat (ca), assenyat (ca) Czech: rozumny Danish: fornuftig (da) Dutch: verstandig (nl), zinnig (nl) Finnish: järkevä (fi), järjellinen (fi) French: sensé (fr), raisonnable (fr) Georgian: აზრიანი (azriani) German: vernünftig (de) Gothic: 𐌰𐌽𐌳𐌰𐌸𐌰𐌷𐍄𐍃 (andaþahts) Greek: Ancient: φρόνιμος (phrónimos) Hungarian: észszerű (hu), értelmes (hu) Icelandic: skynsamlegur (is) Irish: réasúnta, ciallmhar Italian: giudizioso (it), di buon senso, ragionevole (it), sensato (it) Norwegian: Bokmål: fornuftig (no) Nynorsk: fornuftig (no) Polish: sensowny (pl), rozsądny (pl) Portuguese: sensato (pt) Romanian: rezonabil (ro) m or n, rațional (ro) m or n, sensibil (ro), simțit (ro) Russian: разу́мный (ru) (razúmnyj), здравомы́слящий (ru) (zdravomýsljaščij), рациона́льный (ru) (racionálʹnyj), благоразу́мный (ru) (blagorazúmnyj), здра́вый (ru) (zdrávyj) Sanskrit: कवि (sa) (kavi) Scottish Gaelic: toinnte, glic Spanish: razonable (es), sensato (es), sesudo Swedish: förnuftig (sv) Turkish: makul (tr), akla yatkın (tr), akıllı (tr), akıllıca (tr)

characterized more by usefulness than by fashionableness

Catalan: pràctic (ca) Dutch: praktisch (nl), functioneel (nl) Finnish: käytännöllinen (fi) German: vernünftig (de), sinnvoll (de), gescheit (de) (coll.) Italian: pratico (it), logico (it) Romanian: practic (ro) m or n, logic (ro) m or n, chibzuit (ro) m or n Russian: практи́чный (ru) (praktíčnyj), целесообра́зный (ru) (celesoobráznyj) Turkish: kullanışlı (tr), işlevsel (tr), işe yarar (tr)

Noun

sensible (plural sensibles)

1. (obsolete) Sensation; sensibility.
   • 1667, John Milton, “Book II”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], […], OCLC 228722708; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, OCLC 230729554:

     Our temper changed […] which must needs remove the sensible of pain.

2. (obsolete) That which impresses itself on the senses; anything perceptible.
   • 1857, William Fleming, Vocabulary of Philosophyyy

     Aristotle distinguished sensibles into common and proper.

3. (obsolete) That which has sensibility; a sensitive being.
   • 1624, Democritus Junior [pseudonym; Robert Burton], The Anatomy of Melancholy: […], 2nd edition, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Printed by John Lichfield and James Short, for Henry Cripps, OCLC 54573970:

     This melancholy extends itself not to men only, but even to vegetals and sensibles.

Further reading

• sensible in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
• sensible in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911
• sensible at OneLook Dictionary Search

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Catalan

Etymology

From Latin sēnsibilis, attested from the 14th century.[1]

Pronunciation

• (Balearic, Central) IPA^(key): /sənˈsi.blə/
• (Valencian) IPA^(key): /senˈsi.ble/

Adjective

sensible (masculine and feminine plural sensibles)

1. sentient
2. sensitive

Derived terms

• sensiblement

Related terms

• insensible
• sensibilitat
• sentir

References

1. “sensible”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2023

Further reading

• “sensible” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• “sensible” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “sensible” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

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French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sɑ̃.sibl/

• Audio

  (file)

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Latin sēnsibilis.

Adjective

sensible (plural sensibles)

1. sensitive

Derived terms

• sensibilité
• sensiblement

Related terms

• sentir

Etymology 2

Ellipsis of note sensible.

Noun

sensible f (plural sensibles)

1. (music) leading tone

Further reading

• “sensible”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

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German

Pronunciation

• Audio

  (file)

Adjective

sensible

1. inflection of sensibel:
   1. strong/mixed nominative/accusative feminine singular
   2. strong nominative/accusative plural
   3. weak nominative all-gender singular
   4. weak accusative feminine/neuter singular

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Spanish

Etymology

From Latin sēnsibilis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /senˈsible/ [sẽnˈsi.β̞le]
• Rhymes: -ible
• Syllabification: sen‧si‧ble

Adjective

sensible (plural sensibles)

1. sensitive
2. sentient
3. responsive

Usage notes

• Sensible is a false friend, and does not mean reasonable in Spanish. The Spanish word for that English meaning of sensible is sensato.

Antonyms

• insensible

Related terms

• sensiblemente
• sensiblería
• sensiblero

 

Further reading

• “sensible”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014