sensibility

noun

sen·​si·​bil·​i·​ty ˌsen(t)-sə-ˈbi-lə-tē 

plural sensibilities

1

: ability to receive sensations : sensitiveness

tactile sensibility

2

: peculiar susceptibility to a pleasurable or painful impression (as from praise or a slight)

—often used in plural

3

: awareness of and responsiveness toward something (such as emotion in another)

4

: refined or excessive sensitiveness in emotion and taste with especial responsiveness to the pathetic

Did you know?

The meanings of sensibility run the gamut from mere sensation to excessive sentimentality. In between is a capacity for delicate appreciation, a sense often pluralized. In Jane Austen's books, sensibility is mostly an admirable quality she attributes to, or finds lacking in, her characters: "He had ... a sensibility to what was amiable and lovely" (of Mr. Elliot in Persuasion). In Sense and Sensibility, however, Austen starts out by ascribing to Marianne sensibleness, on the one hand, but an "excess of sensibility" on the other: "Her sorrows, her joys, could have no moderation ... she was everything but prudent."

Synonyms

• feeling
• heartstrings
• passions

Examples of sensibility in a Sentence

The writer is remembered most for his sensibility.

She's a woman of poetic sensibility.

Recent Examples on the Web

No event typifies that sensibility quite like the annual GlaGla Race, which is held in Talloires every January and is something of a real-life version of the children’s Floor-is-Lava game—hundreds of brave participants compete in a paddle board race across the icy lake. —Michael Venutolo-Mantovani, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 Dec. 2024

But this nearly 50-year-old film nevertheless surprises for how fresh its comedic sensibility is and its modern comic point of view. —Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 9 Dec. 2024

The result is a home nestled amidst the natural beauty of Aspen that’s equipped with a sophisticated, urbane sensibility inside. —Troy J. McMullen, Architectural Digest, 9 Dec. 2024

As for her glam, Gomez’s hair was styled with sleek sensibility courtesy of Renato Campora. —Julia Teti, WWD, 6 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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Kids Definition

sensibility

noun

sen·​si·​bil·​i·​ty ˌsen(t)-sə-ˈbil-ət-ē 

plural sensibilities

1

: ability to receive sensations : sensitiveness

2

: response to a pleasurable or painful impression (as praise or criticism)

3

: the emotion or feeling of which a person is capable

Medical Definition

sensibility

noun

sen·​si·​bil·​i·​ty ˌsen(t)-sə-ˈbil-ət-ē 

plural sensibilities

1

: ability to receive sensations

sensibility to pain

2

: awareness of and responsiveness toward something (as emotion in another)