sixth sense

noun

1. a power of perception beyond the five senses; intuition:

   His sixth sense warned him to be cautious.

sixth sense

noun

1. any supposed sense or means of perception, such as intuition or clairvoyance, other than the five senses of sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell

Word History and Origins

Origin of sixth sense¹

First recorded in 1830–40

Idioms and Phrases

Keen intuition, as in She had a sixth sense that they would find it in the cellar . This term alludes to a sense in addition to the five physical senses of sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch. [c. 1800]

Example Sentences

She rose to fame after a succession of blockbuster films, including Kevin Costner’s “The Postman,” Wes Anderson’s “Rushmore” and M. Night Shyamalan’s “The Sixth Sense.”

From Los Angeles Times

“Well,” Squire said while everyone around him groaned, “I guess I have a sixth sense.”

From Los Angeles Times

Trap is the latest release from M. Night Shyamalan, a director famous for high-concept films with big twists such as The Sixth Sense.

From BBC

About midway through “The Sixth Sense,” Bruce Willis’ Malcolm, a compassionate child psychologist, attempts to cheer up Haley Joel Osment’s Cole, a disturbed boy struggling with secrets he’s too scared to reveal.

From Los Angeles Times

There were, of course, memorable twists in cinema before “The Sixth Sense” — for instance, in the Charlton Heston chestnuts “Planet of the Apes” and “Soylent Green” — but what Shyamalan achieved haunted his future movies, his career in general and our ability to enjoy such late-reel surprises in other people’s films.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• instinct