sentience

noun

sen·​tience ˈsen(t)-sh(ē-)ən(t)s How to pronounce sentience (audio)
ˈsen-tē-ən(t)s
1
: a sentient quality or state
2
: feeling or sensation as distinguished from perception and thought

Examples of sentience in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
To clarify, this does not somehow anoint contemporary AI with having sentience. Lance Eliot, Forbes, 4 Jan. 2025 Ultimately, The Wild Robot, tackling perennial subjects like parenting and more contemporary ones like technological sentience, is a movie for the moment that could also only be made in this moment. Mia Galuppo, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Jan. 2025 If an animal seeks out painkillers, or can learn based on associations with painful stimuli, that can suggest sentience. Shayla Love, The New Yorker, 5 Jan. 2025 Do realize that once AI hits sentience if that day arrives, all bets are off. Lance Eliot, Forbes, 30 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for sentience 

Word History

First Known Use

1839, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of sentience was in 1839

Dictionary Entries Near sentience

Cite this Entry

“Sentience.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sentience. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!