sentient

American  

[sen-shuhnt, ‐shee-uhnt, ‐tee-uhnt] / ˈsɛn ʃənt, ‐ʃi ənt, ‐ti ənt /

adjective

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

2. characterized by sensation and consciousness.

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noun

1. a person or thing that is sentient.

2. Archaic. the conscious mind.

sentient British  

/ ˈsɛntɪənt /

adjective

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

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noun

1. rare a sentient person or thing

Other Word Forms

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

Etymology

Origin of sentient

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

Explanation

Someone sentient is able to feel things, or sense them. Sentient usually occurs in phrases like "sentient beings" and "sentient creatures," making it clear that things that don’t have life don’t have feelings. Explain that to a pet rock. Sentient comes from the Latin sentient-, "feeling," and it describes things that are alive, able to feel and perceive, and show awareness or responsiveness. Having senses makes something sentient, or able to smell, communicate, touch, see, or hear. Whether or not plants and living things other than animals and people are sentient depends on whom you ask.

Example Sentences

Researchers say the way to help humanity escape the Turing Trap is to make sure that chatbots don’t communicate as if they were sentient.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 2026

“This marks not just the next chapter, but the next book in SpaceX and xAI’s mission: scaling to make a sentient sun to understand the universe and extend the light of consciousness to the stars!”

From MarketWatch • Feb. 2, 2026

“This marks not just the next chapter, but the next book in SpaceX and xAI’s mission: scaling to make a sentient sun to understand the Universe and extend the light of consciousness to the stars!”

From Barron's • Feb. 2, 2026

A postcard from Pandora would showcase its floating mountains, bioluminescent forests and sentient hot-air balloons.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 16, 2025

It frightened him that he slept well at nights, that he was still calmed by the scent of orange leaves and the turquoise stillness of the sea, that he was sentient.

From "Half of a Yellow Sun" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie