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Haptic felt its way into English in the 19th century as a back-formation of haptics, a noun which was borrowed from the New Latin hapticē (meaning "science of touch," and derived ultimately from the Greek haptesthai, meaning "to touch") in the 1700s. Haptic was originally a medical synonym for tactile. By the 20th century, it had developed a psychological sense, describing individuals whose perception supposedly depended primarily on touch rather than sight. Although almost no one today divides humans into haptic and visual personalities, English retains the broadened psychological sense of haptic as well as the older "tactile" sense.
Examples of haptic in a Sentence
Carol Schram, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2025
Since the launch of the ID product family in 2019, VW has shifted more than 1.35 million ID EVs worldwide, many with the woeful haptic buttons customers have loathed, but which mercifully have now been binned.
—Julian Chokkattu, WIRED, 8 Feb. 2025
Buttons provide haptic feedback with relevant buttons illuminated as a driver goes about their day.
—Kevin Lynn, Newsweek, 7 Jan. 2025
Unfortunately, Kosman says the haptic motor had to go to accommodate better health sensors.
—Victoria Song, The Verge, 6 Jan. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Haptic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/haptic. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
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