sensitive

[ sen-si-tiv ]

adjective

1. endowed with sensation; having perception through the senses.
2. readily or excessively affected by external agencies or influences.
3. having acute mental or emotional sensibility; aware of and responsive to the feelings of others.
4. easily pained, annoyed, etc.
5. pertaining to or connected with the senses or sensation.
6. Physiology. having a low threshold of sensation or feeling.
7. responding to stimuli, as leaves that move when touched.
8. highly responsive to certain agents, as photographic plates, films, or paper.
9. affected or likely to be affected by a specified stimulus (used in combination):

   price-sensitive markets.

10. involving work, duties, or information of a highly secret or delicate nature, especially in government:

    a sensitive position in the State Department.

11. requiring tact or caution; delicate; touchy:

    a sensitive topic.

12. constructed to indicate, measure, or be affected by small amounts or changes, as a balance or thermometer.
13. Radio. easily affected by external influences, especially by radio waves.

noun

1. a person who is sensitive.
2. a person with psychic powers; medium.

sensitive

/ ˈsɛnsɪtɪv /

adjective

1. having the power of sensation
2. responsive to or aware of feelings, moods, reactions, etc
3. easily irritated; delicate

   sensitive skin

4. affected by external conditions or stimuli
5. easily offended
6. of or relating to the senses or the power of sensation
7. capable of registering small differences or changes in amounts, quality, etc

   a sensitive instrument

8. photog having a high sensitivity

   a sensitive emulsion

9. connected with matters affecting national security, esp through access to classified information
10. (of a stock market or prices) quickly responsive to external influences and thus fluctuating or tending to fluctuate

Derived Forms

• ˈsensitively, adverb
• ˈsensitiveness, noun

Other Words From

• sensi·tive·ly adverb
• non·sensi·tive adjective
• non·sensi·tive·ly adverb
• non·sensi·tive·ness noun
• ultra·sensi·tive adjective
• ultra·sensi·tive·ly adverb
• un·sensi·tive adjective
• un·sensi·tive·ly adverb
• un·sensi·tive·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of sensitive¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; from Medieval Latin sēnsitīvus, irregular formation from Latin sēns(us) “felt” (past participle of sentīre “to feel”) + -īvus -ive; replacing Middle English sensitif(e), from Middle French sensitif, sensitive, from Medieval Latin, as above; sense

Word History and Origins

Origin of sensitive¹

C14: from Medieval Latin sēnsitīvus, from Latin sentīre to feel

Example Sentences

At the time, a now defunct gamma-ray telescope, the Solar Maximum Mission, was pointing in the supernova's direction, but it wasn't sensitive enough to be able to detect the predicted intensity of gamma rays, according to the UC Berkeley team's analysis.

From Science Daily

“Until we have solved the problems of death and loneliness and their byproducts, war and climate change,” said Kate McKinnon, the ceremony’s host , “sensitive souls will continue to offer their theses of how to make the most of our fragile and fleeting time on this burning planet surrounded by other frightened hearts.”

From Los Angeles Times

"Previous studies have not really looked at this critical first year of life with the kind of sensitive body fat measures we were able to use," said Rachel Rickman, lead author of the study and former doctoral student of Widen.

From Science Daily

"From a biological standpoint, it could be that females are designed to be more sensitive to their environment and be aroused when they need to be because they are typically the one who is caring for the young," Rowe said.

From Science Daily

To be honest, initially, I still wanted to be very sensitive to the fact that this is someone who, she’s been sober for a certain amount of years, but it’s still relatively fresh going.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• conscious
• delicate
• emotional
• hypersensitive
• keen
• nervous
• perceptive
• precise
• receptive
• responsive
• susceptible
• tense
• touchy
• tricky
• unstable