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English
Etymology
From Latin sēnsibilis (“perceptible by the senses, having feeling, sensible”), from sentiō (“to feel, perceive”).
Pronunciation
Adjective
sensible (comparative more sensible, superlative most sensible or sensiblest)
- Acting with or showing good sense; able to make good judgements based on reason, or reflecting such ability.
2005, Plato, translated by Lesley Brown, Sophist, page 230b:They ask questions of someone who thinks he's got something sensible to say on some matter when actually he hasn't.
- Synonym: reasonable
- Coordinate terms: prudent, wise, appropriate
- Characterized more by usefulness, practicality, or comfort than by attractiveness, formality, or fashionableness, especially of clothing.
I only wear high heels on formal occasions; otherwise, I prefer sensible shoes.
1985, "Weird Al" Yankovic (lyrics and music), “Dare to Be Stupid”, in Dare to Be Stupid, performed by "Weird Al" Yankovic:Settle down, raise a family, join the PTA
Buy some sensible shoes and a Chevrolet
- 1999, Neil Gaiman, Stardust (2001 Perennial Edition), page 8,
- They would walk, on fair evenings, around the village, and discuss the theory of crop rotation, and the weather, and other such sensible matters.
- (especially formally) Able to be sensed by the senses or the psyche; able to be perceived.
1751, John Arbuthnot, An Essay Concerning the Effects of Air on Human Bodies, page 1:Air is sensible to the Touch by its Motion, and by its Resistance to Bodies moved in it.
1778, William Lewis, The New Dispensatory, page 91:The sensible qualities of argentina promise no great virtue of this kind; for to the taste it discovers only a slight roughishness, from whence it may be presumed to be entitled to a place only among the milder corroborants.
1690, William Temple, “Of Heroick Virtue”, in Miscellanea. The Second Part. , 2nd edition, London: J. R. for Ri and Ra Simpson, , →OCLC, section III, page 207:[T]he diſgrace was more ſensible than the pain.
1776 March 9, Adam Smith, chapter 11, in An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations. , volume I, London: W Strahan; and T Cadell, , →OCLC, book I (Of the Causes of Improvement in the Productive Powers of Labour, ), page 241:The discovery of the mines of America […] does not seem to have had any very sensible effect upon the prices of things in England.
- Synonyms: perceptible, appreciable, detectable
- Antonyms: insensible, imperceptible, unappreciable, undetectable
- (archaic) Able to feel or perceive.
c. 1608–1609 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedy of Coriolanus”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies (First Folio), London: Isaac Iaggard, and Ed Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, :Would your cambric were sensible as your finger.
- (archaic) Liable to external impression; easily affected; sensitive.
- a sensible thermometer
c. 1596–1598 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merchant of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies (First Folio), London: Isaac Iaggard, and Ed Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, :with affection wondrous sensible
- (archaic) Of or pertaining to the senses; sensory.
- (archaic) Cognizant; having the perception of something; aware of something.
1723, Cotton Mather, “Agathangelus; or, The Servant of God with His Guardian”, in Cœlestinus. A Conversation in Heaven, Quickened and Assisted, with Discoveries of Things in the Heavenly World. , Boston, Mass.: S Kneeland, for Nath Belknap, , →OCLC, page 2:A bright Meſſenger from Heaven, made the Man of GOD ſenſible, That a Remarkable Safety ſhould be granted unto him, and therefore unto all the Company vvith Him.
1749, [John Cleland], “”, in Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure [Fanny Hill], volume I, London: G. Fenton , →OCLC, pages 213–214:Diſingaging myſelf then from his embrace, I made him ſenſible of the reaſons there vvere for his preſent leaving me; on vvhich, tho' reluctantly, he put on his cloaths vvith as little expedition, hovvever, as he could help, vvantonly interrupting himſelf betvveen vvhiles, vvith kiſſes, touches, and embraces, I could not refuſe myſelf to; […]
1810, Thomas Green, Extracts from the diary of a lover of literature:we are now sensible that it would have been absurd
Usage notes
- "Sensible" describes the reasonable way in which a person may think about things or do things:
- It wouldn't be sensible to start all over again now.
- It is not comparable to its cognates in certain languages (see below at Translations section).
- "Sensitive" describes an emotional way in which a person may react to things:
- He has always been a sensitive child.
- I didn’t realize she was so sensitive about her work.
Related terms
Translations
easily perceived, appreciable
acting with or showing good judgement
- Bulgarian: благоразумен (bg) (blagorazumen)
- Catalan: sensat (ca), assenyat (ca)
- Czech: rozumny
- Danish: fornuftig (da)
- Dutch: verstandig (nl), zinnig (nl)
- Finnish: järkevä (fi), järjellinen (fi)
- French: sensé (fr), raisonnable (fr)
- Georgian: აზრიანი (azriani)
- German: vernünftig (de)
- Gothic: 𐌰𐌽𐌳𐌰𐌸𐌰𐌷𐍄𐍃 (andaþahts)
- Greek:
- Ancient: φρόνιμος (phrónimos)
- Hungarian: észszerű (hu), értelmes (hu)
- Icelandic: skynsamlegur (is)
- Irish: réasúnta, ciallmhar
- Italian: giudizioso (it), di buon senso, ragionevole (it), sensato (it)
- Norwegian:
- Bokmål: fornuftig (no)
- Nynorsk: fornuftig (no)
- Polish: sensowny (pl), rozsądny (pl)
- Portuguese: sensato (pt)
- Romanian: rezonabil (ro) m or n, rațional (ro) m or n, sensibil (ro), simțit (ro)
- Russian: разу́мный (ru) (razúmnyj), здравомы́слящий (ru) (zdravomýsljaščij), рациона́льный (ru) (racionálʹnyj), благоразу́мный (ru) (blagorazúmnyj), здра́вый (ru) (zdrávyj)
- Sanskrit: कवि (sa) (kavi)
- Scottish Gaelic: toinnte, glic
- Spanish: razonable (es), sensato (es), sesudo
- Swedish: förnuftig (sv)
- Turkish: makul (tr), akla yatkın (tr), akıllı (tr), akıllıca (tr)
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characterized more by usefulness than by fashionableness
Noun
sensible (plural sensibles)
- (obsolete) Sensation; sensibility.
- (obsolete) That which impresses itself on the senses; anything perceptible.
1857, William Fleming, Vocabulary of Philosophy:Aristotle distinguished sensibles into common and proper.
- 2018, Richard F. Hassing, Final Causality in Nature and Human Affairs (page 4)
- Accordingly, with respect to their knowability or opinability, Socrates makes no distinction among the sensibles between natural things and artifacts (510a5–6); both are relegated to the realm of opinion. Hence, there is no Socratic-Platonic biology.
- (obsolete) That which has sensibility; a sensitive being.
1624, Democritus Junior [pseudonym; Robert Burton], The Anatomy of Melancholy: , 2nd edition, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Printed by John Lichfield and James Short, for Henry Cripps, →OCLC:This melancholy extends itself not to men only, but even to vegetals and sensibles.
Further reading
- “sensible”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
- “sensible”, in The Century Dictionary , New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
- “sensible”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
Catalan
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin sēnsibilis. First attested in the 14th century.
Pronunciation
Adjective
sensible m or f (masculine and feminine plural sensibles)
- sentient
- sensitive
Derived terms
Related terms
References
Further reading
French
Pronunciation
Etymology 1
Borrowed from Latin sēnsibilis.
Adjective
sensible (plural sensibles)
- sensitive
Derived terms
Related terms
Etymology 2
Ellipsis of note sensible.
Noun
sensible f (plural sensibles)
- (music) leading tone
Further reading
German
Pronunciation
Adjective
sensible
- inflection of sensibel:
- strong/mixed nominative/accusative feminine singular
- strong nominative/accusative plural
- weak nominative all-gender singular
- weak accusative feminine/neuter singular
Spanish
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin sēnsibilis.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /senˈsible/
- Rhymes: -ible
- Syllabification: sen‧si‧ble
Adjective
sensible m or f (masculine and feminine plural sensibles)
- sensitive
- sentient
- responsive
Usage notes
- Sensible is a false friend, and does not mean reasonable in Spanish. The Spanish word for that English meaning of sensible is sensato.
Antonyms
Derived terms
Related terms
Further reading