sensory

American  

[sen-suh-ree] / ˈsɛn sə ri /

Also sensorial

adjective

1. of or relating to the senses or sensation.

2. Physiology. noting a structure for conveying an impulse that results or tends to result in sensation, as a nerve.

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sensory British  

/ ˈsɛnsərɪ, sɛnˈsɔːrɪəl /

adjective

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

2. of or relating to those processes and structures within an organism that receive stimuli from the environment and convey them to the brain

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sensory Scientific  

/ sĕn′sə-rē /

1. Involving the sense organs or the nerves that relay messages from them.

2. Compare motor

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Other Word Forms

• intersensory adjective
• multisensory adjective
• nonsensorial adjective
• nonsensory adjective
• unsensory adjective

Etymology

Origin of sensory

First recorded in 1620–30; sense + -ory ¹

Example Sentences

But when I really pressed on the memory — when I tried to locate the most sensory detail — it wasn’t the yogurt dip or the crumb coating or even the spice blend.

From Salon

The goal was to help the deputies understand the feeling of sensory overwhelm, which many autistic people experience when incoming stimulation exceeds their capacity to process.

From Los Angeles Times

Morag says there is no need to pack lots of toys on these trips because sensory learning is free.

From BBC

"It's actually a bigger issue than people realise," says Duncan, from Devon, whose teenage daughter is autistic and has sensory processing disorder, which means she is more sensitive to how clothing feels against her skin.

From BBC

When an irritant gets on your skin, a biochemical process activates sensory neurons that make you itchy.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• audiovisual
• auditory
• aural
• neural
• neurological
• olfactory
• sensual
• sonic
• tactile
• visual