sensitive

English

Etymology

From Middle French sensitif, from Medieval Latin sensitivus.

Pronunciation

• (US, UK) IPA: /ˈsɛnsɪtɪv/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Adjective

sensitive (comparative more sensitive, superlative most sensitive)

1. Having the faculty of sensation; pertaining to the senses.
   • 1621, Robert Burton, The Anatomy of Melancholy, III.1.2.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, 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. Accurate (instrument)

Derived terms

• sensitively
• sensitiveness
• sensitivity

Related terms

• sense

Synonyms

• tender
• precise
• compassionate
• caring
• aware

Antonyms

• insensitive
• stoic
• uncaring
• resistant

Translations

responsive to stimuli

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 敏感 (cmn) (mǐngǎn)

• Danish: følsom (da)
• Finnish: herkkä (fi)
• French: sensible (fr)
• German: empfindlich (de), sensibel (de)
• Greek: ευαίσθητος (el) m (evaísthitos) (evaísthitos)
• Hungarian: érzékeny (hu)

• Japanese: 敏感 (ja) (びんかん, binkan)
• Polish: wrażliwy (pl)
• Romanian: sensibil (ro) m and n, susceptibil (ro) m and n, impresionabil (ro) m and n, receptiv (ro) m and n
• Russian: чувствительный (ru) (čuvstvítelʹnyj) , чуткий (ru) (čútkij) , восприимчивый (ru) (vospriímčivyj) 
• Slovene: občutljiv (sl) m
• Spanish: sensible (es), sensitivo (es)

of a person

• Basque: sentibera (eu), hunkibera (eu)
• Czech: citlivý (cs) m, senzitivní (cs) m
• Esperanto: sentema (eo)
• Finnish: herkkä (fi), herkkätunteinen (fi), arka (fi)
• German: empfindlich (de), sensibel (de)
• Greek: ευαίσθητος (el) m (evaísthitos) (evaísthitos)

• Hungarian: érzékeny (hu)
• Japanese: 敏感 (ja) (びんかん, binkan)
• Maori: hūkokikoki (mi)
• Romanian: receptiv (ro) m and n, sensibil (ro) m and n, simțitor (ro) m and n
• Russian: чувствительный (ru) (čuvstvítelʹnyj) , ранимый (ru) (ranímyj) 
• Slovene: občutljiv (sl) m
• Spanish: sensible (es), susceptible (es)

of an issue

• Finnish: herkkä (fi), arkaluonteinen (fi)

of an instrument

• Czech: citlivý (cs) m
• Finnish: herkkä (fi)
• Greek: ευαίσθητος (el) m (evaísthitos) (evaísthitos)
• Hungarian: érzékeny (hu)

• Japanese: 繊細 (ja) (せんさい, sensai)
• Romanian: sensibil (ro), de precizie (ro)
• Russian: чувствительный (ru) (čuvstvítelʹnyj) , точный (ru) (tóčnyj) 
• Spanish: sensible (es)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.

Translations to be checked

• Arabic: حساس (ħassās)
• Dutch: gevoelig
• French: sensible (1)
• Italian: sensibile

• Korean: 민감한 (min-gamhan)
• Portuguese: sensível
• Swedish: känslig (1,2)
• Turkish: duyarlı, hassas

Noun

sensitive (plural sensitives)

1. One with a paranormal sensitivity to something that most cannot perceive.
   • 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: /sɑ̃.si.tiv/, X-SAMPA: /sA~.si.tiv/

Adjective

sensitive

1. feminine form of sensitif

Noun

sensitive f (plural sensitives)

1. sensitive plant (Mimosa pudica)

Anagrams

• investies

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Italian

Adjective

sensitive f

1. Feminine plural form of sensitivo

Anagrams

• estensivi, intessevi

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Latin

Adjective

sensitive

1. vocative masculine singular of sensitivus