sapient

[ sey-pee-uhnt ]

/ ˈseɪ pi ənt /

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See synonyms for: sapient / sapience on Thesaurus.com

adjective

having or showing great wisdom or sound judgment.

having or showing self-awareness: sapient life forms.

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Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of sapient

First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English sapyent, from Latin sapient- (stem of sapiēns, present participle of sapere “to be wise,” literally, “to taste, have taste”), equivalent to sapi- verb stem + -ent- adjective suffix; see -ent

OTHER WORDS FROM sapient

sa·pi·ence, sa·pi·en·cy, nounsa·pi·ent·ly, adverbun·sa·pi·ent, adjectiveun·sa·pi·ent·ly, adverb

Words nearby sapient

saphenous, saphenous vein, sapid, sapience, sapiens, sapient, sapiential, sapindaceous, sapiosexual, Sapir, Sapir-Whorf hypothesis

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use sapient in a sentence

Some affirm that he wrote to please royalty, but if so why did he not condemn the custom to appease the wrath of a sapient king.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce|E. R. Billings.
Therefore why be sapient and solemn about it, like an editorial in a newspaper?
The Tragic Muse|Henry James
One sapient editor said that the pearls in the mussels in Salmon and Connecticut Rivers caused the disturbance.
Myths And Legends Of Our Own Land, Complete|Charles M. Skinner
As this sapient precept dropped oracularly from his lips, a word at a time, his figure faded and turned pale.
The Man-Wolf and Other Tales|Emile Erckmann and Alexandre Chatrian

You are really inimitable, you stern guardians of morals and most sapient defenders of the immaculateness of the State!
Quintus Claudius, Volume 2 of 2|Ernst Eckstein

British Dictionary definitions for sapient

sapient

/ (ˈseɪpɪənt) /

adjective

often ironic wise or sagacious

Derived forms of sapient

sapience, nounsapiently, adverb

Word Origin for sapient

C15: from Latin sapere to taste

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

sapient

Origin of sapient

OTHER WORDS FROM sapient

Words nearby sapient

Words related to sapient

How to use sapient in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for sapient

Derived forms of sapient

Word Origin for sapient