sensitive

[sen-si-tiv]

adjective

1. endowed with sensation; having perception through the senses.

2. readily or excessively affected by external agencies or influences.

3. having acute mental or emotional sensibility; aware of and responsive to the feelings of others.

4. easily pained, annoyed, etc.

5. pertaining to or connected with the senses or sensation.

6. Physiology.,  having a low threshold of sensation or feeling.

7. responding to stimuli, as leaves that move when touched.

8. highly responsive to certain agents, as photographic plates, films, or paper.

9. affected or likely to be affected by a specified stimulus (used in combination).

   price-sensitive markets.

10. involving work, duties, or information of a highly secret or delicate nature, especially in government.

    a sensitive position in the State Department.

11. requiring tact or caution; delicate; touchy.

    a sensitive topic.

12. constructed to indicate, measure, or be affected by small amounts or changes, as a balance or thermometer.

13. Radio.,  easily affected by external influences, especially by radio waves.

noun

1. a person who is sensitive.

2. a person with psychic powers; medium.

sensitive

/ ˈsɛnsɪtɪv /

adjective

1. having the power of sensation

2. responsive to or aware of feelings, moods, reactions, etc

3. easily irritated; delicate

   sensitive skin

4. affected by external conditions or stimuli

5. easily offended

6. of or relating to the senses or the power of sensation

7. capable of registering small differences or changes in amounts, quality, etc

   a sensitive instrument

8. photog having a high sensitivity

   a sensitive emulsion

9. connected with matters affecting national security, esp through access to classified information

10. (of a stock market or prices) quickly responsive to external influences and thus fluctuating or tending to fluctuate

Other Word Forms

• sensitively adverb
• nonsensitive adjective
• nonsensitively adverb
• nonsensitiveness noun
• ultrasensitive adjective
• ultrasensitively adverb
• unsensitive adjective
• unsensitively adverb
• unsensitiveness noun
• sensitiveness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of sensitive¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; from Medieval Latin sēnsitīvus, irregular formation from Latin sēns(us) “felt” (past participle of sentīre “to feel”) + -īvus -ive; replacing Middle English sensitif(e), from Middle French sensitif, sensitive, from Medieval Latin, as above; sense

Word History and Origins

Origin of sensitive¹

C14: from Medieval Latin sēnsitīvus, from Latin sentīre to feel

Example Sentences

The relationship with India is a sensitive issue in Bangladeshi politics.

From BBC

California nurses’ organizations agree, saying that community colleges and CSU campuses in particular offer a pipeline to nursing jobs for lower-income, first-generation students of color and that these graduates provide culturally sensitive care.

From Los Angeles Times

But the justices left open the question of whether states and cities could prohibit the carrying of guns in “sensitive places,” and if so, where.

From Los Angeles Times

Eighteen documents were marked top secret, and one of those sets had the control system protocol “top secret/SCI,” or sensitive compartmented information.

From Salon

Such apps could potentially collect very sensitive data, which could be devastating if exposed by hackers.

From BBC

Related Words

• conscious 
• delicate 
• emotional 
• hypersensitive 
• keen 
• nervous 
• perceptive 
• precise 
• receptive 
• responsive 
• susceptible 
• tense 
• touchy 
• tricky 
• unstable