adjective
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of or relating to the senses or the power of sensation
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of or relating to those processes and structures within an organism that receive stimuli from the environment and convey them to the brain
Other Word Forms
- intersensory adjective
- multisensory adjective
- nonsensorial adjective
- nonsensory adjective
- unsensory adjective
Etymology
Origin of sensory
Explanation
The adjective sensory describes something relating to sensation — something that you feel with your physical senses. Sticking a knife into a toaster will give you a sensory experience, but so will smelling a rose. Stick with the rose. Sensory comes from the Latin word sentire, meaning "to perceive, feel." Sampling your mom's blueberry pie is a sensory experience — you can smell it, you can taste it, and the crust has a really good texture. You may get sensory overload when you're in New York City because there's so much for your senses to take in. Sensory can also describe a nerve fiber, such as a sensory neuron, that carries impulses to the nerve centers in your body.
Vocabulary lists containing sensory
TEKS ELAR Academic Vocabulary List (5th-7th grades)
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Essential Academic Vocabulary for High School Students, List 4
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ACT Vocabulary List
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The government wants to achieve this by making schools more inclusive - such as by having more sensory spaces and earlier access to specialists like speech and language therapists.
From BBC • Mar. 28, 2026
In the video, the snake flicks its tongue, a common sensory behavior used to detect chemical cues in the air and identify nearby prey or potential predators.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 23, 2026
The sensory mismatch — a coconut-flavored “potato” — is a little kid’s dream, like the Jelly Belly “Bean Boozled” pack or a cupcake that looks like a hamburger.
From Salon • Mar. 17, 2026
Teacher and performer, he revealed the works of Nature to a genteel audience amid the sensory manipulations of the theater.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 14, 2026
Locke doubted whether our sensory capacities were sufficient to allow us to develop an adequate knowledge of corporeal substances.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
