sensitivity

[ sen-si-tiv-i-tee ]

noun

, plural sen·si·tiv·i·ties

1. the state or quality of being sensitive; sensitiveness.
2. Physiology.
   1. the ability of an organism or part of an organism to react to stimuli; irritability.
   2. degree of susceptibility to stimulation.
3. Electricity.
   1. the ability of a radio device to react to incoming signals, expressed as the minimum input signal required to produce a specified output signal with a given noise level.
   2. the input, as voltage, current, or the like, required to produce full deflection in an electric measuring device, expressed as the ratio of the response to the magnitude of the input quantity.

sensitivity

/ ˌsɛnsɪˈtɪvɪtɪ /

noun

1. the state or quality of being sensitive
2. physiol the state, condition, or quality of reacting or being sensitive to an external stimulus, drug, allergen, etc
3. electronics the magnitude or time of response of an instrument, circuit, etc, to an input signal, such as a current
4. photog the degree of response of an emulsion to light or other actinic radiation, esp to light of a particular colour, expressed in terms of its speed

Other Words From

• anti·sensi·tivi·ty noun plural antisensitivities adjective
• nonsen·si·tivi·ty noun plural nonsensitivities

Word History and Origins

Origin of sensitivity¹

First recorded in 1795–1805; sensitive + -ity

Synonym Study

See sensibility.

Example Sentences

Amid escalating conflict in the Middle East and heightened political sensitivities, it remains to be seen how audiences will receive a film that revisits a tragedy that still haunts many today.

From Los Angeles Times

The story of Claressa Shields fits comfortably within Jenkins’ poetic sensitivity for telling deeply personal stories centered on complex Black characters.

From Los Angeles Times

"I don't think it will be decisive," a Western diplomat in Kyiv told the BBC, requesting anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter.

From BBC

A material with this sensitivity could be valuable for engineering applications in which large-scale forces need to be measured, as in monitoring building deformations, or in biological research to characterize forces in cells.

From Science Daily

Lotta, a female fox, has sound sensitivities and chooses not to tell her friends she has autism.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• awareness
• feeling
• nervousness
• sense
• subtlety
• sympathy