sapience

[ sey-pee-uhns ]
See synonyms for sapience on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. great wisdom or sound judgment:He did much to inculcate the image of a good prince, demonstrating his sapience at Oxford and doing justice with rigor and compassion.

  2. the capacity to be self-aware:Language existed long before there was writing, emerging most likely at the same time as sapience, abstract thought, and the genus Homo.

Origin of sapience

1
First recorded in 1350–1400; from Old French, from Latin sapientia “wisdom,” from sapient-, stem of sapiēns + -ia -ia; see sapient
  • Rarely sa·pi·en·cy [sey-pee-uhn-see] /ˈseɪ pi ən si/ .

Words Nearby sapience

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use sapience in a sentence

  • "They come back when they learn to play ball above the ears," retorted Bean with crisp sapience.

    Bunker Bean | Harry Leon Wilson
  • Another is an emblematic representation of the Tower of sapience, each stone formed of some mental qualification.

  • His demure sapience was of the most intense order and it arose out of great mental excitement.

    Shadows of the Stage | William Winter
  • Artemas Ward made people laugh the moment they beheld him, by his wooden composure and indescribable sapience of demeanour.

    Shadows of the Stage | William Winter
  • "She's tremendously admired by some people," said Lady Mollie, shaking her head with a quaint air of sapience.

    Consequences | E. M. Delafield