sentience
noun
sen·tience
ˈsen(t)-sh(ē-)ən(t)s 
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
If plants possess sentience, what is the morally appropriate response?
—
Zoë Schlanger, The New York Review of Books, 13 Sep. 2024
His freakish sense of sentience is probably the most human thing about him.
—Leah Faye Cooper, Vogue, 14 Aug. 2024
Animals at the continuum’s other end—including great apes, cetaceans (whales, dolphins, and porpoises), and elephants—possess a complex consciousness and self-consciousness, exquisite sentience, robust general intelligence, and a powerful sense of autonomy.
—Steven M. Wise, Foreign Affairs, 28 Apr. 2015
At some point along this continuum, however, a primitive level of consciousness and sentience kicks in.
—Steven M. Wise, Foreign Affairs, 28 Apr. 2015
See all Example Sentences for sentience 
Zoë Schlanger, The New York Review of Books, 13 Sep. 2024
His freakish sense of sentience is probably the most human thing about him.
—Leah Faye Cooper, Vogue, 14 Aug. 2024
Animals at the continuum’s other end—including great apes, cetaceans (whales, dolphins, and porpoises), and elephants—possess a complex consciousness and self-consciousness, exquisite sentience, robust general intelligence, and a powerful sense of autonomy.
—Steven M. Wise, Foreign Affairs, 28 Apr. 2015
At some point along this continuum, however, a primitive level of consciousness and sentience kicks in.
—Steven M. Wise, Foreign Affairs, 28 Apr. 2015
See all Example Sentences for sentience
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sentience.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near sentience
Cite this Entry
“Sentience.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sentience. Accessed 2 Oct. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share