sensitive

American  

[sen-si-tiv] / ˈsɛn sɪ tɪv /

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.

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noun

1. a person who is sensitive.

2. a person with psychic powers; medium.

sensitive British  

/ 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

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Other Word Forms

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

Etymology

Origin of sensitive

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

Explanation

Sensitive describes something or someone who reacts quickly and strongly. It's often something to protect — like baby skin, government documents, or a fragile ecosystem. Anything sensitive should be treated with special care. It can mean "raw or hurting" when talking about a part of the body. After people visit the dentist, their gums are often sensitive because of the way that big angry lady cleaned their teeth. Sensitive people get their feelings hurt easily. Sensitive documents have big secrets that shouldn't get out. A sensitive tape recorder catches all the little background sounds. Now you should have a sense of the word sensitive.

Example Sentences

One big caveat from the IMF team: Consumers still wear the scars from the last two crises, making them much more sensitive to any new price increases.

From Barron's • Apr. 14, 2026

“This leaves crude acutely sensitive to any gyrations in the geopolitical narrative, which traders know come fast and furious,” he said.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 14, 2026

This combination is expected to make it easier to create complex quantum states needed for quantum communication, networks, and highly sensitive measurement systems.

From Science Daily • Apr. 13, 2026

In October, the Commerce Department designated Hong Kong addresses associated with Liu Baoxia, a Chinese businesswoman accused of providing sensitive electronics from the U.S. to Iran for nearly two decades.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 11, 2026

Because Tycho was such a superb observer and had built such accurate instruments, this was the most sensitive search for parallax yet undertaken.

From "The Scientists" by John Gribbin

Related Words

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