sentient

[sen-shuhnt, ‐shee-uhnt, ‐tee-uhnt]

adjective

1. having the power of perception by the senses; conscious.

2. characterized by sensation and consciousness.

noun

1. a person or thing that is sentient.

2. Archaic.,  the conscious mind.

sentient

/ ˈsɛntɪənt /

adjective

1. having the power of sense perception or sensation; conscious

noun

1. rare,  a sentient person or thing

Other Word Forms

• sentiently adverb
• nonsentient adjective
• nonsentiently adverb
• unsentient adjective
• unsentiently adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of sentient¹

First recorded in 1595–1605; from Latin sentient-, stem of sentiēns “feeling,” present participle of sentīre “to feel” sense ( def. )

Word History and Origins

Origin of sentient¹

C17: from Latin sentiēns feeling, from sentīre to perceive

Example Sentences

On the second track, “Bumpy,” what sounds like a sonic rendering of an exploding box of crayons leads to a throbbing pulse that could be a sentient computer’s ticking heart.

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Pope Leo may therefore be understood as drawing a line against the proposition that AI is a sentient being deserving rights and bearing the Imago Dei, which is the source of rights.

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AI chatbots shouldn’t trick people into thinking they are having conversations with sentient beings, he said.

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From a novel starring a sentient gale-force wind, on to a memoir from a leading African American writer, this month’s titles provide illumination as we lose daylight.

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Kirsh wants to quickly disabuse her and the other Lost Boys of that idea, given his experience of being sentient property and, perhaps, his experience of typically being the smartest one in the room.

Read more on Salon