sensible

Definition from Wiktionary, a free dictionary

Contents 1 English 1.1 Etymology 1.2 Pronunciation 1.3 Adjective 1.3.1 Usage notes 1.3.2 Related terms 1.3.3 Translations 2 French 2.1 Etymology 2.2 Pronunciation 2.3 Adjective 2.3.1 Related terms 3 Spanish 3.1 Adjective 3.1.1 Antonyms 3.1.2 Usage notes 3.1.3 Related terms

[edit] English

[edit] Etymology

From Latin sensibilis.

[edit] Pronunciation

• (RP) IPA: /ˈsensəbl/
•  Audio (US)^{help, file}

[edit] Adjective

sensible (comparative more sensible, superlative most sensible)

1. (now dated or formal) Perceptible by the senses.
   • 1902, William James, The Varieties of Religious Experience, Folio Society 2008, p. 45:

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

2. Easily perceived; appreciable.
3. Able to feel or perceive.
4. Of or pertaining to the senses; sensory.
5. Cognizant; having the perception of something; aware of something.
6. Acting with or showing good sense; able to make good judgements based on reason.
   • 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.

7. Characterized more by usefulness or practicality than by fashionableness, especially of clothing.
   • 1999, Neil Gaiman, Stardust (2001 Perennial Edition), p. 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.

[edit] 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.

• "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.

[edit] Related terms

• sensory
• sensual
• sensuous
• supersensible

[edit] Translations

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[edit] French

[edit] Etymology

From Latin sensibilis.

[edit] Pronunciation

•  Audio^{help, file}

[edit] Adjective

sensible (epicene, plural sensibles)

1. sensitive

[edit] Related terms

• sensibilité
• sensiblement

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[edit] Spanish

[edit] Adjective

sensible m. and f. (plural sensibles)

1. sensitive

[edit] Antonyms

• insensible

[edit] Usage notes

• Sensible is a false friend, and does not mean "sensible" in the sense of "reasonable". See the translation section above for substitutes.

[edit] Related terms

• sensiblemente