sensitive

English

Etymology

From Middle French sensitif, from Medieval Latin sensitivus.

Pronunciation

• (US, UK) IPA^(key): /ˈsɛnsɪtɪv/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Adjective

sensitive (comparative more sensitive, superlative most sensitive)

1. Having the faculty of sensation; pertaining to the senses.
   • 1621, Democritus Junior [pseudonym; Robert Burton], The Anatomy of Melancholy, Oxford: Printed by Iohn Lichfield and Iames Short, for Henry Cripps, OCLC 216894069:, 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, 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. (of an instrument) Accurate.

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. Use the templates {{syn|en|...}} or {{ant|en|...}} to add them to the appropriate sense(s).

• tender
• nesh
• precise
• compassionate
• caring
• 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. Use the templates {{syn|en|...}} or {{ant|en|...}} to add them to the appropriate sense(s).

• non-sensitive
• insensitive
• stoic
• uncaring
• resistant

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. Use the templates {{syn|en|...}} or {{ant|en|...}} to add them to the appropriate sense(s).

• hypersensitive
• light-sensitive
• potentially-sensitive

Derived terms

Terms derived from sensitive

• sensitively

• sensitiveness

• sensitivity

Related terms

• sense

Translations

having the faculty of sensation; pertaining to the senses

• Finnish: aisti-
• Greek: αισθητικός (el) m (aisthitikós)

• Portuguese: sensitivo (pt)
• Tagalog: matugunin

responsive to stimuli

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 敏感 (zh) (mǐngǎn)

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

• Japanese: 敏感な (ja) (びんかんな, binkan na)
• Polish: wrażliwy (pl)
• Portuguese: sensível (pt), sensitivo (pt)
• Romanian: sensibil (ro) m, n, susceptibil (ro) m, n, impresionabil (ro) m, n, receptiv (ro) m, n
• Russian: чувстви́тельный (ru) (čuvstvítelʹnyj), чу́ткий (ru) (čútkij), восприи́мчивый (ru) (vospriímčivyj)
• Slovene: občutljiv (sl) m
• Spanish: sensible (es), sensitivo
• Tagalog: matugunin

easily offended

• Basque: sentibera (eu), hunkibera (eu)
• Czech: citlivý m, senzitivní m
• Esperanto: sentema
• Finnish: herkkä (fi), herkkätunteinen, arka (fi)
• French: sensible (fr)
• German: empfindlich (de), sensibel (de)
• Greek: ευαίσθητος (el) m (evaísthitos), εύθικτος (el) m (éfthiktos)
• Hungarian: érzékeny (hu)
• Italian: sensibile (it)
• Japanese: 敏感な (ja) (びんかんな, binkan na)

• Maori: hūkokikoki
• Navajo: baa hastiʼ
• Portuguese: sensível (pt)
• Romanian: receptiv (ro) m, n, sensibil (ro) m, n, simțitor (ro) m, n
• Russian: чувстви́тельный (ru) (čuvstvítelʹnyj), рани́мый (ru) (ranímyj)
• Slovene: občutljiv (sl) m
• Spanish: sensible (es), susceptible (es)
• Swedish: känslig (sv)
• Turkish: alıngan (tr), darılgan (tr)

capable of offending

• Finnish: herkkä (fi), arkaluonteinen
• Greek: ευαίσθητος (el) m (evaísthitos)
• Hungarian: kényes (hu)
• Italian: sensibile (it), delicato (it)

• Portuguese: delicado (pt)
• Russian: конфиденциа́льный (ru) (konfidenciálʹnyj), щекотливый (ru) (ščekotlivyj)
• Turkish: hassas (tr), ince (tr), nazik (tr)

accurate

• Czech: citlivý m
• Finnish: herkkä (fi)
• French: sensible (fr)
• Greek: ευαίσθητος (el) m (evaísthitos)
• Hungarian: érzékeny (hu)
• Japanese: 繊細な (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, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout#Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Arabic: ^{(please verify)} حَسَّاس‏‎ (ḥassās)
• Dutch: ^{(please verify)} gevoelig
• Italian: ^{(please verify)} sensibile

• Korean: ^{(please verify)} 민감한 (min-gamhan)
• Swedish: (1, 2) ^{(please verify)} känslig
• Turkish: ^{(please verify)} duyarlı, ^{(please verify)} 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^(key): /sɑ̃.si.tiv/

Adjective

sensitive

1. feminine singular of sensitif

Noun

sensitive f (plural sensitives)

1. sensitive plant (Mimosa pudica)

Anagrams

• investies

Further reading

• “sensitive” in le Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

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Italian

Adjective

sensitive

1. feminine plural of sensitivo

Anagrams

• estensivi, intessevi

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Latin

Adjective

sensitive

1. vocative masculine singular of sensitivus

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Norwegian Bokmål

Adjective

sensitive

1. definite singular of sensitiv
2. plural form of sensitiv

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Norwegian Nynorsk

Adjective

sensitive

1. definite singular of sensitiv
2. plural form of sensitiv