sentient

[sen-shuhnt, ‐shee-uhnt, ‐tee-uhnt]

adjective

1. having the power of perception by the senses; conscious.

2. characterized by sensation and consciousness.

noun

1. a person or thing that is sentient.

2. Archaic.,  the conscious mind.

sentient

/ ˈsɛntɪənt /

adjective

1. having the power of sense perception or sensation; conscious

noun

1. rare,  a sentient person or thing

Other Word Forms

• sentiently adverb
• nonsentient adjective
• nonsentiently adverb
• unsentient adjective
• unsentiently adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of sentient¹

First recorded in 1595–1605; from Latin sentient-, stem of sentiēns “feeling,” present participle of sentīre “to feel” sense ( def. )

Word History and Origins

Origin of sentient¹

C17: from Latin sentiēns feeling, from sentīre to perceive

Example Sentences

AI chatbots shouldn’t trick people into thinking they are having conversations with sentient beings, he said.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

From a novel starring a sentient gale-force wind, on to a memoir from a leading African American writer, this month’s titles provide illumination as we lose daylight.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Kirsh wants to quickly disabuse her and the other Lost Boys of that idea, given his experience of being sentient property and, perhaps, his experience of typically being the smartest one in the room.

Read more on Salon

The researchers stress that plants are not sentient.

Read more on BBC

Even the possibility that AI systems with sentient features will emerge in the near future is reason to engage in serious planning for a coming era in which AI welfare is a reality.

Read more on Salon