sensation
Americannoun
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sensations
plural
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the operation or function of the senses; perception or awareness of stimuli through the senses.
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a mental condition or physical feeling resulting from stimulation of a sense organ or from internal bodily change, as cold or pain.
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Physiology. the faculty of perception of stimuli.
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a general feeling not directly attributable to any given stimulus, as discomfort, anxiety, or doubt.
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a mental feeling, especially a state of excited feeling.
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a state of excited feeling or interest caused among a number of persons or throughout a community, as by some rumor or occurrence.
- Synonyms:
- perturbation, commotion, agitation, animation, stimulation, excitement
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a cause of such feeling or interest.
The new Brazilian movie was the sensation of the film festival.
noun
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the power of perceiving through the senses
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a physical condition or experience resulting from the stimulation of one of the sense organs
a sensation of warmth
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a general feeling or awareness
a sensation of fear
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a state of widespread public excitement
his announcement caused a sensation
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anything that causes such a state
your speech was a sensation
Synonym Usage
See sense.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of sensation
First recorded in 1605–15; from Medieval Latin sēnsātiōn- (stem of sēnsātiō ), equivalent to Late Latin sēnsāt(us) sensate + -iōn- -ion
Explanation
A sensation is a type of feeling, picked up by one of the five senses. Peppercorns will give you the sensation of a million tiny pinpricks on your tongue. A sensation is something from your senses. If you lose sensation in your feet, they are numb and it's time for you to get up and move around to restore blood flow. You can call something a sensation if it is wonderful and astonishing. Your parents will tell you that you were a sensation in the school play. Everyone will want to go see the special-effects movie that critics are calling a worldwide sensation.
Vocabulary lists containing sensation
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Common Senses: Sent, Sens ("Feel")
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The Cay
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Time Out said Effi o Blaenau was a cross between Greek tragedy and "British social realism", calling Gwenllian "formidable", while The Guardian described the film as a "sensation".
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
“Most players will tell you that hitting a home run—especially in a critical moment of a big game—is a sensation that can’t be topped,” Mr. Winfield writes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
That makes Nav1.7 an unusual therapeutic target because it appears to influence both the sensation of pain and the physical deterioration of joint tissue.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 8, 2026
Chinese swimming sensation Yu Zidi, just 13, stole the show in the pool with three gold medals, all in Games-record times.
From Barron's ● Oct. 4, 2026
A warm sensation ran over Benji from head to toe that he couldn’t explain.
From "Millionaires for the Month" by Stacey McAnulty
Different rooms are said to explore contrasting sensations, with some emphasizing touch, sound or visuals.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 30, 2026
The mind learns that disconnecting can allow a person to get space from the sensations, emotions, or experiences that are painful or overwhelming.
From Slate ● Sep. 23, 2026
The term refers to the difficulty of explaining how electrical and chemical activity in the brain gives rise to subjective experience, including sensations, emotions, thoughts, and the personal feeling of being alive.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 30, 2026
They were called the "tartan teen sensations from Edinburgh", and sold an estimated 120–300 million records worldwide, making them one of the best selling musical acts of all time globally.
From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026
How could she possibly describe the flavors and sensations of tasting delicious desserts?
From "The Wild Robot Escapes" by Peter Brown
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
