Alternative forms

• sensative (archaic)

Etymology

From Middle FrenchCategory:English terms derived from Middle French#SENSITIVE sensitif, from Medieval LatinCategory:English terms derived from Medieval Latin#SENSITIVE sensitivus.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) enPR: sĕn'sĭtĭv, IPA^(key): /ˈsɛn.sɪt.ɪv/Category:English 3-syllable words#SENSITIVECategory:English terms with IPA pronunciation#SENSITIVE
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈsɛn.sɪt.ɪv/, [ˈsɛn.sɪɾ.ɪv]Category:English 3-syllable words#SENSITIVECategory:English terms with IPA pronunciation#SENSITIVE

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

  Category:English terms with audio pronunciation#SENSITIVE

• Audio (General American):

  (file)

  Category:English terms with audio pronunciation#SENSITIVE
• (pin–pen merger) IPA^(key): /ˈsɪn.sɪt.ɪv/, [ˈsɪn.sɪɾ.ɪv]Category:English 3-syllable words#SENSITIVECategory:English terms with IPA pronunciation#SENSITIVE
• (This entry needs an audio pronunciation. If you are a native speaker with a microphone, please record this word. The recorded pronunciation will appear here when it's ready.
  Particularly: "pin-pen")Category:Requests for audio pronunciation in English entries#SENSITIVE
• Hyphenation: sen‧sit‧ive

Adjective

sensitive (comparative more sensitive, superlative most sensitive)Category:English lemmas#SENSITIVECategory:English adjectives#SENSITIVECategory:English entries with incorrect language header#SENSITIVECategory:Pages with entries#SENSITIVECategory:Pages with 6 entries#SENSITIVE

1. Having the faculty of sensation; pertaining to the senses.
   • 1624, Democritus Junior [pseudonym; Robert Burton], The Anatomy of Melancholy: […], 2nd edition, Oxford, Oxfordshire: […] John Lichfield and James Short, for Henry Cripps, →OCLC, partition III, section 1, member 2, subsection i:

     The sensitive faculty most part overrules reason, the soul is carried hoodwinked, and the understanding captive like a beast.

     Category:English terms with quotations#SENSITIVE

2. Responsive to stimuli.
   • 1947 January and February, O. S. Nock, “"The Aberdonian" in Wartime”, in Railway Magazine, page 9:

     The engine seemed a little sensitive to wet rails, and in consequence the uphill work was not so good north of Dundee as it had been earlier. But I have noted this same "touchiness" on the part of the "A4s", and other modern British 4-6-2s, so that in this respect No. 2006 proved no exception.

     Category:English terms with quotations#SENSITIVE

3. (of a person) Easily offended, upset, or hurt.

   Max is very sensitive; he cried today because of the bad news.Category:English terms with usage examples#SENSITIVE

4. (of an issue, topic, etc.) Capable of offending, upsetting, or hurting.

   Religion is often a sensitive topic of discussion and should be avoided when dealing with foreign business associates.Category:English terms with usage examples#SENSITIVE

5. Meant to be concealed or kept secret.

   These are highly sensitive documents.Category:English terms with usage examples#SENSITIVE

   • 2008, BioWare, Mass Effect (Science Fiction), Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →ISBN, →OCLC, PC, scene: Citadel:

     Xeltan: I cannot speak more about this problem; it is too sensitive. Suffice it to say, she has compromised my authority as a diplomat.

     Category:English terms with quotations#SENSITIVE

6. Being aware of the feelings of others and taking care not to offend them.

   Thank you for being sensitive.Category:English terms with usage examples#SENSITIVE

7. Important, intricate, and requiring great delicacy.

   The president's untimely statement disrupted some very sensitive negotiations.Category:English terms with usage examples#SENSITIVE

8. (of an instrument) Accurate; able to register small changes in some property.
9. (archaicCategory:English terms with archaic senses#SENSITIVE) Having paranormal abilities that can be controlled through mesmerism.

Noun

sensitive (plural sensitives)Category:English lemmas#SENSITIVECategory:English nouns#SENSITIVECategory:English countable nouns#SENSITIVECategory:English entries with incorrect language header#SENSITIVECategory:Pages with entries#SENSITIVECategory:Pages with 6 entries#SENSITIVE

1. A person with a paranormal sensitivity to something that most cannot perceive.
   • 1936, Rollo Ahmed, The Black Art, London: Long, page 72:

     [I]t is quite certain that many of their fears were unfounded, and centred upon perfectly innocent people - especially those who were what we now call "mediumistic" or "sensitives".

     Category:English terms with quotations#SENSITIVE

   • 1957, Sydney J. Bounds, The Robot Brains, London: Digit Books, page 82:

     After all, Madame Rosita was a sensitive.

     Category:English terms with quotations#SENSITIVE

   • 2003, Frederic W.H. Myers, Human Personality and Its Survival of Bodily Death Part 2:

     Swedenborg was one of the leading savants of Europe; it would be absurd to place any of our sensitives on the same intellectual level.

     Category:English terms with quotations#SENSITIVE

     Category:Quotation templates to be cleaned

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sɑ̃.si.tiv/Category:French 3-syllable words#SENSITIVECategory:French terms with IPA pronunciation#SENSITIVE

• Audio (France (Lyon)):

  (file)

  Category:French terms with audio pronunciation#SENSITIVE

Adjective

sensitiveCategory:French non-lemma forms#SENSITIVECategory:French adjective forms#SENSITIVECategory:French entries with incorrect language header#SENSITIVECategory:Pages with entries#SENSITIVECategory:Pages with 6 entries#SENSITIVE

1. feminine singular of sensitif

Noun

sensitive f (plural sensitives)Category:French lemmas#SENSITIVECategory:French nouns#SENSITIVECategory:French countable nouns#SENSITIVECategory:French entries with incorrect language header#SENSITIVECategory:French feminine nouns#SENSITIVECategory:Pages with entries#SENSITIVECategory:Pages with 6 entries#SENSITIVE

1. sensitive plant (Mimosa pudica)

Further reading

• “sensitive”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012

Anagrams

• investies

Adjective

sensitive f plCategory:Italian non-lemma forms#SENSITIVECategory:Italian adjective forms#SENSITIVECategory:Italian entries with incorrect language header#SENSITIVECategory:Pages with entries#SENSITIVECategory:Pages with 6 entries#SENSITIVE

1. feminine plural of sensitivo

Anagrams

• estensivi, intessevi

Adjective

sēnsitīveCategory:Latin non-lemma forms#SENSITIVECategory:Latin adjective forms#SENSITIVECategory:Latin entries with incorrect language header#SENSITIVECategory:Pages with entries#SENSITIVECategory:Pages with 6 entries#SENSITIVE

1. vocative masculine singular of sēnsitīvus

Adjective

sensitiveCategory:Norwegian Bokmål non-lemma forms#SENSITIVECategory:Norwegian Bokmål adjective forms#SENSITIVECategory:Norwegian Bokmål entries with incorrect language header#SENSITIVECategory:Pages with entries#SENSITIVECategory:Pages with 6 entries#SENSITIVE

1. definite singular of sensitiv
2. plural of sensitiv

Adjective

sensitiveCategory:Norwegian Nynorsk non-lemma forms#SENSITIVECategory:Norwegian Nynorsk adjective forms#SENSITIVECategory:Norwegian Nynorsk entries with incorrect language header#SENSITIVECategory:Pages with entries#SENSITIVECategory:Pages with 6 entries#SENSITIVE

1. definite singular of sensitiv
2. plural of sensitiv