sensitive

sensitive

English

Alternative forms

• sensative (archaic)

Etymology

From Middle French sensitif, from Medieval Latin sensitivus.

Pronunciation

• (US, UK) enPR: sĕn'sĭtĭv, IPA^(key): /ˈsɛnsɪtɪv/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Adjective

sensitive (comparative more sensitive, superlative most sensitive)

1. Having the faculty of sensation; pertaining to the senses.
   • 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, partition III, section 1, member 2, subsection i:

     The sensitive faculty most part overrules reason, the soul is carried hoodwinked, and the understanding captive like a beast.

2. Responsive to stimuli.
3. (of a person) Easily offended, upset, or hurt.

   Max is very sensitive; he cried today because of the bad news.

4. (of an issue, topic, etc.) Capable of offending, upsetting, or hurting.

   Religion is often a sensitive topic of discussion and should be avoided when dealing with foreign business associates.

5. Meant to be concealed or kept secret.

   These are highly sensitive documents.

   • 2008, BioWare, Mass Effect (Science Fiction), Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →ISBN, OCLC 246633669, PC, scene: Citadel:

     Xeltan: I cannot speak more about this problem; it is too sensitive. Suffice it to say, she has compromised my authority as a diplomat.

6. Important, intricate, and requiring great delicacy.

   The president's untimely statement disrupted some very sensitive negotiations.

7. (of an instrument) Accurate; able to register small changes in some property.
8. (archaic) Having paranormal abilities that can be controlled through mesmerism.

Synonyms

The terms below need to be checked and allocated to the definitions (senses) of the headword above. Each term should appear in the sense for which it is appropriate. For synonyms and antonyms you may use the templates {{syn|en|...}} or {{ant|en|...}}.

• tender
• nesh
• precise
• compassionate
• caring
• classified
• aware

Antonyms

The terms below need to be checked and allocated to the definitions (senses) of the headword above. Each term should appear in the sense for which it is appropriate. For synonyms and antonyms you may use the templates {{syn|en|...}} or {{ant|en|...}}.

• insensitive
• nonsensitive
• resistant
• stoic
• uncaring

Hyponyms

The terms below need to be checked and allocated to the definitions (senses) of the headword above. Each term should appear in the sense for which it is appropriate. For synonyms and antonyms you may use the templates {{syn|en|...}} or {{ant|en|...}}.

• hypersensitive
• light-sensitive
• time-sensitive

Derived terms

• sensitively
• sensitiveness
• sensitivity

 

Related terms

• sense

Translations

having the faculty of sensation; pertaining to the senses

Bulgarian: чувствителен (bg) (čuvstvitelen) Cebuano: sensitib, sensitibo Finnish: aisti- (fi) Greek: αισθητικός (el) (aisthitikós) Ancient: αἰσθητικός (aisthētikós) Hungarian: érzékelő (hu), érzékelési, érzékszervi Maori: rahirahi (of hearing) Polish: czuły (pl) Portuguese: sensitivo (pt) Spanish: sensible (es) Tagalog: matugunin

responsive to stimuli

Arabic: حَسَّاس‎ (ḥassās) Armenian: զգայուն (hy) (zgayun) Azerbaijani: həssas (az) Belarusian: чуллі́вы (čullívy), чульлі́вы (čulʹlívy) (Taraškievica), адчува́льны (adčuválʹny), чу́лы (čúly), чу́ткі (čútki) Bulgarian: чувстви́телен (bg) (čuvstvítelen) Catalan: sensible (ca) Cebuano: sensitib, sensitibo Chinese: Mandarin: 敏感 (zh) (mǐngǎn) Czech: citlivý (cs) Danish: følsom Dutch: gevoelig (nl), prikkelbaar (nl), lichtgeraakt (nl) Finnish: herkkä (fi), aistiherkkä French: sensible (fr) Georgian: მგრძნობიარე (mgrʒnobiare) German: empfindlich (de), sensibel (de) Greek: ευαίσθητος (el) m (evaísthitos) Ancient: αἰσθητικός (aisthētikós) Hungarian: érzékeny (hu), fogékony (hu) Italian: ricettivo (it), sensibile (it) Japanese: 敏感な (ja) (びんかんな, binkan na) Korean: 민감하다 (ko) (min'gamhada) Maori: rahirahi (Usually refers to hearing) Norwegian: følsom (no) Polish: wrażliwy (pl), czuły (pl) Portuguese: sensível (pt), sensitivo (pt) Romanian: sensibil (ro), susceptibil (ro), impresionabil (ro), receptiv (ro) Russian: чувстви́тельный (ru) (čuvstvítelʹnyj), чу́ткий (ru) (čútkij), восприи́мчивый (ru) (vospriímčivyj) Slovak: citlivý Slovene: občutljiv (sl) Spanish: sensible (es), sensitivo Swedish: känslig (sv) Tagalog: matugunin Ukrainian: чутли́вий (čutlývyj), чу́лий (čúlyj), почутли́вий (počutlývyj), чуйни́й (čujnýj), чутки́й (čutkýj)

easily offended

Arabic: حَسَّاس‎ m (ḥassās) Basque: sentibera (eu), hunkibera (eu) Bulgarian: обидчив (bg) (obidčiv) Catalan: sensible (ca) Cebuano: sensitib, sensitibo Czech: citlivý (cs), senzitivní (cs) Esperanto: sentema Finnish: herkkä (fi), herkkätunteinen, arka (fi) French: sensible (fr) German: empfindlich (de), sensibel (de) Greek: ευαίσθητος (el) (evaísthitos), εύθικτος (el) (éfthiktos) Hebrew: רגיש‎ Hungarian: érzékeny (hu) Italian: sensibile (it) Japanese: 敏感な (ja) (びんかんな, binkan na) Maori: hūkokikoki, āritarita Navajo: baa hastiʼ Polish: drażliwy (pl) m Portuguese: sensível (pt) Romanian: receptiv (ro) m or n, sensibil (ro) m or n, simțitor (ro) m or n Russian: чувстви́тельный (ru) (čuvstvítelʹnyj), рани́мый (ru) (ranímyj) Slovene: občutljiv (sl) Spanish: sensible (es), susceptible (es) Swedish: känslig (sv) Turkish: alıngan (tr), darılgan (tr)

capable of offending

Catalan: delicat (ca), ploramiques (ca) m Cebuano: sensitib, sensitibo Danish: sensitiv Finnish: herkkä (fi), arkaluonteinen (fi) Greek: ευαίσθητος (el) (evaísthitos) Hebrew: רגיש‎ Hungarian: kényes (hu) Italian: sensibile (it), delicato (it) Portuguese: delicado (pt) Russian: конфиденциа́льный (ru) (konfidɛnciálʹnyj), щекотливый (ru) (ščekotlivyj) Turkish: hassas (tr), ince (tr), nazik (tr)

accurate

Bulgarian: прецизен (bg) (precizen) Catalan: sensible (ca) Czech: citlivý (cs) Finnish: herkkä (fi) French: sensible (fr) Greek: ευαίσθητος (el) m (evaísthitos) Hungarian: érzékeny (hu), finom (hu), precíz (hu) Japanese: 繊細な (ja) (せんさいな, sensai na) Portuguese: sensível (pt) Romanian: sensibil (ro), de precizie Russian: чувстви́тельный (ru) (čuvstvítelʹnyj), то́чный (ru) (tóčnyj) Spanish: sensible (es) Swedish: känslig (sv)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

Dutch: (please verify) gevoelig (nl) Italian: (please verify) sensibile (it) Swedish: (1, 2) (please verify) känslig (sv) Turkish: (please verify) duyarlı (tr), (please verify) hassas (tr)

Noun

sensitive (plural sensitives)

1. A person with a paranormal sensitivity to something that most cannot perceive.
   • 1936, Rollo Ahmed, The Black Art, London: Long, page 72:

     [I]t is quite certain that many of their fears were unfounded, and centred upon perfectly innocent people - especially those who were what we now call "mediumistic" or "sensitives".

   • 2003, Frederic W.H. Myers, Human Personality and Its Survival of Bodily Death Part 2

     Swedenborg was one of the leading savants of Europe; it would be absurd to place any of our sensitives on the same intellectual level.

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French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sɑ̃.si.tiv/

• Audio

  (file)

Adjective

sensitive

1. feminine singular of sensitif

Noun

sensitive f (plural sensitives)

1. sensitive plant (Mimosa pudica)

Further reading

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

Anagrams

• investies

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Italian

Adjective

sensitive f pl

1. feminine plural of sensitivo

Anagrams

• estensivi, intessevi

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Latin

Adjective

sēnsitīve

1. vocative masculine singular of sēnsitīvus

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Norwegian Bokmål

Adjective

sensitive

1. definite singular of sensitiv
2. plural of sensitiv

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Norwegian Nynorsk

Adjective

sensitive

1. definite singular of sensitiv
2. plural of sensitiv