sensible
AdjectiveOpen English WordNet
Adjective (4)
- showing reason or sound judgment“a sensible choice”“a sensible person”Synonyms: reasonableSimilar healthy, commonsense, tenableRelates to reasonablenessSee also fair, logical, rational, valid
- able to feel or perceive“even amoeba are sensible creatures”“the more sensible parts of the skin”Synonyms: sensitiveOpposite insensibleSee also aware, conscious, sensitive
- readily perceived by the senses“the sensible universe”“a sensible odor”Opposite imperceptibleSimilar perceptible
- aware intuitively or intellectually of something sensed“made sensible of his mistakes”“I am sensible that the mention of such a circumstance may appear trifling — Henry Hallam”“sensible that a good deal more is still to be done — Edmund Burke”Opposite incognizantSimilar aware, cognizant
What does it mean? Question 1 of today’s quiz
Translations
Adjective acting with or showing good judgement
- Spanish
- sensato
- French
- raisonnable
- German
- vernünftig
- Italian
- ragionevole
- Portuguese
- sensato
- Turkish
- makul
- Russian
- разу́мный razúmnyj
- Dutch
- verstandig
- Polish
- rozsądny
- Swedish
- förnuftig
Adjective characterized more by usefulness than by fashionableness
- Spanish
- práctico
- German
- vernünftig
- Swedish
- förnuftig
The main translation for each meaning, from the langtolang.com multilingual dictionary. Each word links to its full entry there.
Webster's Dictionary (1913)
Origin: F., fr. L. sensibilis, fr. sensus sense.
1. Capable of being perceived by the senses; apprehensible through the bodily organs; hence, also, perceptible to the mind; making an impression upon the sense, reason, or understanding; as, sensible heat; sensible resistance.
Air is sensible to the touch by its motion.— John Arbuthnot
The disgrace was more sensible than the pain.— Sir William Temple
Any very sensible effect upon the prices of things.— Adam Smith
2. Having the capacity of receiving impressions from external objects; capable of perceiving by the instrumentality of the proper organs; liable to be affected physically or mentally; impressible.
Would your cambric were sensible as your finger.— William Shakespeare
3. Hence: Liable to impression from without; easily affected; having nice perception or acute feeling; sensitive; also, readily moved or affected by natural agents; delicate; as, a sensible thermometer. “With affection wondrous sensible.” William Shakespeare
4. Perceiving or having perception, either by the senses or the mind; cognizant; perceiving so clearly as to be convinced; satisfied; persuaded.
He [man] can not think at any time, waking or sleeping, without being sensible of it.— John Locke
They are now sensible it would have been better to comply than to refuse.— Joseph Addison
5. Having moral perception; capable of being affected by moral good or evil.
6. Possessing or containing sense or reason; gifted with, or characterized by, good or common sense; intelligent; wise.
Now a sensible man, by and by a fool.— William Shakespeare
Sensible note or Sensible tone Music, the major seventh note of any scale; — so called because, being but a half step below the octave, or key tone, and naturally leading up to that, it makes the ear sensible of its approaching sound. Called also the leading tone. — Sensible horizon. See Horizon, noun, 2. (a).
Synonyms: Intelligent; wise. — Sensible, Intelligent. We call a man sensible whose judgments and conduct are marked and governed by sound judgment or good common sense. We call one intelligent who is quick and clear in his understanding, i. e., who discriminates readily and nicely in respect to difficult and important distinctions. The sphere of the sensible man lies in matters of practical concern; of the intelligent man, in subjects of intellectual interest. “I have been tired with accounts from sensible men, furnished with matters of fact which have happened within their own knowledge.” Joseph Addison “Trace out the numerous footsteps... of a most wise and intelligent architect throughout all this stupendous fabric.” John Woodward
1. Sensation; sensibility. rare “Our temper changed... which must needs remove the sensible of pain.” John Milton
2. That which impresses itself on the sense; anything perceptible.
Aristotle distinguished sensibles into common and proper.— C. P., and Fleming, William Krauth
3. That which has sensibility; a sensitive being. rare
This melancholy extends itself not to men only, but even to vegetals and sensibles.— Burton, Robert
Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), from GCIDE 0.54