sensation

American  

[sen-sey-shuhn] / sɛnˈseɪ ʃən /

noun

1. the operation or function of the senses; perception or awareness of stimuli through the senses.

2. a mental condition or physical feeling resulting from stimulation of a sense organ or from internal bodily change, as cold or pain.

3. Physiology. the faculty of perception of stimuli.

4. a general feeling not directly attributable to any given stimulus, as discomfort, anxiety, or doubt.

5. a mental feeling, especially a state of excited feeling.

6. 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

7. a cause of such feeling or interest.

   The new Brazilian movie was the sensation of the film festival.

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sensation British  

/ sɛnˈseɪʃən /

noun

1. the power of perceiving through the senses

2. a physical condition or experience resulting from the stimulation of one of the sense organs

   a sensation of warmth

3. a general feeling or awareness

   a sensation of fear

4. a state of widespread public excitement

   his announcement caused a sensation

5. anything that causes such a state

   your speech was a sensation

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Related Words

See sense.

Other Word Forms

• nonsensation noun
• resensation noun
• sensationless adjective
• subsensation noun

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.

Example Sentences

The chassis is mounted on hydraulic pillars, so that it gives a sensation of movement in terms of pitch and roll and bumps and so on.

From BBC • Apr. 28, 2026

Singing sensation Meghan Trainor has finally sold her sprawling California home for $6.8 million after nearly two years of trying to find a buyer—hours before she announced that she has canceled her upcoming tour.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 20, 2026

The opening night concert will see Korean piano sensation Yunchan Lim playing Ravel's piano concerto in G Major, and star tenor Thomas Atkins transporting the audience to France, via George Gershwin's An American In Paris.

From BBC • Apr. 20, 2026

Even a day later, contemplating this willfully nauseating work carries much the same sensation as having ingested a plate of bad clams.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 16, 2026

The cold sensation washed over him again as they stepped into a now-sunny Central Park.

From "The Way to Rio Luna" by Zoraida Cordova

Related Words

• emotion
• impression
• passion
• sense
• sensitivity