sensible en · ADJ
Pronunciation
- [ˈsɛn.sɪ.bl̩] (Received-Pronunciation)
- [ˈsen.sɪ.bl̩] (Australia)
- /ˈsɛn.sɪ.bəl/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- (California) audio
- [ˈsɛn.sə.bl̩] (Canada, General-American)
- /ˈsɛn.sə.bəl/ (Canada, General-American)
- /ˈsen.sɪ.bəl/ (Australia)
Etymology
From Latin sēnsibilis (“perceptible by the senses, having feeling, sensible”), from sentiō (“to feel, perceive”).
Meanings
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Acting with or showing good sense; able to make good judgements based on reason or wisdom, or reflecting such ability.
They ask questions of someone who thinks he's got something sensible to say on some matter when actually he hasn't.
2005, Plato, translated by Lesley Brown, Sophist, page 230b:
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Characterized more by usefulness, practicality, or comfort than by attractiveness, formality, or fashionableness, especially of clothing.
I only wear high heels on formal occasions; otherwise, I prefer sensible shoes.
1999, Neil Gaiman, Stardust (2001 Perennial Edition), page 8, They would walk, on fair evenings, around the village, and discuss the theory of crop rotation, and the weather, and other such sensible matters.
Settle down, raise a family, join the PTA Buy some sensible shoes and a Chevrolet
1985, "Weird Al" Yankovic, “Dare to Be Stupid”, in Dare to Be Stupid, performed by "Weird Al" Yankovic:“Delightful vision! A comfortable armchair, situated in three different draughts, at every ballroom; and nice, large, sensible shoes for all the couples to stumble over as they go into the veranda!”
1889, Rudyard Kipling, “The Education of Otis Yeere”, in Under the Deodars, Boston: The Greenock Press, published 1899, page 19:She was a pleasant-looking woman of about forty, with a deep voice, almost manly in its stentorian tones, and had a large sensible square body, with feet to match—these last encased in good thick boots.
1920, Agatha Christie, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, London: Pan Books, published 1954, page 8:
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(especially, formal) Able to be sensed by the senses or the psyche; able to be perceived.
It has been vouchsafed, for example, to very few Christian believers to have had a sensible vision of their Saviour.
1902, William James, “Lecture III: The Reality of the Unseen”, in The Varieties of Religious Experience: A Study in Human Nature […] , New York, N.Y.; London: Longmans, Green, and Co. […], →OCLC, page 54:Air is sensible to the Touch by its Motion, and by its Resistance to Bodies moved in it.
1751, John Arbuthnot, An Essay Concerning the Effects of Air on Human Bodies, page 1:[T]he diſgrace was more ſensible than the pain.
1690, William Temple, Miscellanea. The Second Part. […], London: […] T. M. for Ri[chard] and Ra[lph] Simpson, […], →OCLC, section III, page 207:The discovery of the mines of America […] does not seem to have had any very sensible effect upon the prices of things in England.
1776 March 9, Adam Smith, chapter 11, in An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations. […], volume I, London: […] W[illiam] Strahan; and T[homas] Cadell, […], →OCLC, book I (Of the Causes of Improvement in the Productive Powers of Labour, […]), page 241:The sensible qualities of argentina promise no great virtue of this kind; for to the taste it discovers only a slight roughishness, from whence it may be presumed to be entitled to a place only among the milder corroborants.
1778, William Lewis, The New Dispensatory, page 91:For Plato the belief in sensible objects is fallible.
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(archaic) Able to feel or perceive.
Would your cambric were sensible as your finger.
c. 1608–1609 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedy of Coriolanus”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene iii]:
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(archaic) Liable to external impression; easily affected; sensitive.
a sensible thermometer
with affection wondrous sensible
c. 1596–1598 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merchant of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene viii]:
- (archaic) Of or pertaining to the senses; sensory.
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(archaic) Cognizant; having the perception of something; aware of something.
He cannot think at any time, waking or sleeping, without being sensible of it.
1689 (indicated as 1690), [John Locke], chapter I, in An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding. […], London: […] Eliz[abeth] Holt, for Thomas Basset, […], →OCLC:A bright Meſſenger from Heaven, made the Man of GOD ſenſible, That a Remarkable Safety ſhould be granted unto him, and therefore unto all the Company vvith Him.
1723, Cotton Mather, “Agathangelus; or, The Servant of God with His Guardian”, in Cœlestinus. A Conversation in Heaven, Quickened and Assisted, with Discoveries of Things in the Heavenly World. […], Boston, Mass.: […] S[amuel] Kneeland, for Nath[aniel] Belknap, […], →OCLC, page 2:Diſingaging myſelf then from his embrace, I made him ſenſible of the reaſons there vvere for his preſent leaving me; on vvhich, tho' reluctantly, he put on his cloaths vvith as little expedition, hovvever, as he could help, vvantonly interrupting himſelf betvveen vvhiles, vvith kiſſes, touches, and embraces, I could not refuſe myſelf to; […]
1749, [John Cleland], “[Letter the First]”, in Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure [Fanny Hill], volume I, London: […] [Thomas Parker] for G. Fenton [i.e., Fenton and Ralph Griffiths] […], →OCLC, pages 213–214:we are now sensible that it would have been absurd
1810, Thomas Green, Extracts from the diary of a lover of literature:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| most sensible | Degree=Sup | lexicographic | |
| sensiblest | Degree=Sup | archaic, rare | lexicographic |
| more sensible | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic |
Antonyms
unappreciable · insensible · imperceptible · undetectable
Coordinates
prudent · wise · appropriate
Deriveds
sensibilization · extrasensible · electrosensible · sensibly · sensibleness · subsensible · oversensible · commonsensible · suprasensible · unsensible · nonsensible
Relateds
sense · sensitive · sensual · sensory · supersensible · sensuous
Synonyms
perceptible · reasonable · appreciable · detectable
Translations (131)
hu észszerű (acting with or showing good judgement) · ga céadfaíoch (able to feel or perceive) · ru благоразу́мный (acting with or showing good judgement) · fi järjellinen (acting with or showing good judgement) · ro simțitor (able to feel or perceive) · ru восприи́мчивый (able to feel or perceive) · ru ощути́мый (easily perceived, appreciable) · ca conscient (aware of something) · ru зна́ющий (aware of something) · ru ощути́мый (perceptible by the mind) · la practicus (characterized more by usefulness than by fashionableness) · af waarneembaar (perceptible by the mind) · fi ymmärrettävä (easily perceived, appreciable) · ru разу́мный (acting with or showing good judgement) · fr sensé (acting with or showing good judgement) · tr makul (acting with or showing good judgement) · nl verstandig (acting with or showing good judgement) · fi tietoinen (aware of something) · ca sabedor (aware of something) · bg осезаем (perceptible by the mind) · fr sensible (able to feel or perceive) · it pratico (characterized more by usefulness than by fashionableness) · ru практи́чный (characterized more by usefulness than by fashionableness) · ro simțit (acting with or showing good judgement) · ro perceptibil (perceptible by the mind) · ru чувстви́тельный (able to feel or perceive) · tr akla yatkın (acting with or showing good judgement) · ro conștient (aware of something) · it di buon senso (acting with or showing good judgement) · ga céadfach (able to feel or perceive) · nl merkbaar (perceptible by the mind) · ga céillí (acting with or showing good judgement) · nl aanzienlijk (easily perceived, appreciable) · ca coneixedor (aware of something) · ga inchéadfaithe (perceptible by the mind) · cs rozumny (acting with or showing good judgement) · pl sensowny (acting with or showing good judgement) · ro sensibil (acting with or showing good judgement) · ka აზრიანი (acting with or showing good judgement) · ca sensible (able to feel or perceive) · tr akıllıca (acting with or showing good judgement) · it sensato (acting with or showing good judgement) · de sinnvoll (characterized more by usefulness than by fashionableness) · de vernünftig (acting with or showing good judgement) · grc φρόνιμος (acting with or showing good judgement) · nl waarneembaar (perceptible by the mind) · ru сознаю́щий (aware of something) · ro sesizabil (perceptible by the mind) · it sensibile (able to feel or perceive) · tr işlevsel (characterized more by usefulness than by fashionableness) · ca perceptible (perceptible by the mind) · tr duygun (able to feel or perceive) · nl praktisch (characterized more by usefulness than by fashionableness) · nb fornuftig (acting with or showing good judgement) · ca assenyat (acting with or showing good judgement) · ro rezonabil (acting with or showing good judgement) · tr farkında (olmak) (aware of something) · ca pràctic (characterized more by usefulness than by fashionableness) · pt prático (characterized more by usefulness than by fashionableness) · nb fornuftig (acting with or showing good judgement) · nl aanwijsbaar (easily perceived, appreciable) · bg благоразумен (acting with or showing good judgement) · ga ciallmhar (acting with or showing good judgement) · ru целесообра́зный (characterized more by usefulness than by fashionableness) · es práctico (characterized more by usefulness than by fashionableness) · nl zinnig (acting with or showing good judgement) · ca sensat (acting with or showing good judgement) · es razonable (acting with or showing good judgement) · pt sensato (acting with or showing good judgement) · da fornuftig (acting with or showing good judgement) · ckb عاقڵ (able to feel or perceive) · de wahrnehmbar (perceptible by the mind) · de gescheit (characterized more by usefulness than by fashionableness) · ga inchéadfaithe (easily perceived, appreciable) · tr kullanışlı (characterized more by usefulness than by fashionableness) · ca apreciable (easily perceived, appreciable) · gd toinnte (acting with or showing good judgement) · fr pratique (characterized more by usefulness than by fashionableness) · ro mare (easily perceived, appreciable) · lt pajėgus pajusti ar suvokti (able to feel or perceive) · it ragionevole (acting with or showing good judgement) · nl (zich) bewust (aware of something) · es sensato (acting with or showing good judgement) · nl merkbaar (easily perceived, appreciable) · de vernünftig (characterized more by usefulness than by fashionableness) · it giudizioso (acting with or showing good judgement) · ro inteligent (aware of something) · ru здравомы́слящий (acting with or showing good judgement) · es sesudo (acting with or showing good judgement) · de der Empfindung fähig (able to feel or perceive) · lt suvokiamas protu (perceptible by the mind) · ga réasúnta (acting with or showing good judgement) · ru здра́вый (acting with or showing good judgement) · ro rațional (aware of something) · it razionale (aware of something) · ro apreciabil (easily perceived, appreciable) · fi käytännöllinen (characterized more by usefulness than by fashionableness) · de gewahr (aware of something) · tr hissedilir (easily perceived, appreciable) · ro logic (characterized more by usefulness than by fashionableness) · ro observabil (perceptible by the mind) · tr gözle görülür (easily perceived, appreciable) · it apprezzabile (easily perceived, appreciable) · tr akıllı (acting with or showing good judgement) · tr işe yarar (characterized more by usefulness than by fashionableness) · ro sensibil (able to feel or perceive) · sa कवि (acting with or showing good judgement) · nl functioneel (characterized more by usefulness than by fashionableness) · is skynsamlegur (acting with or showing good judgement) · de spürbar (easily perceived, appreciable) · th สัมผัสได้ (able to feel or perceive) · ro practic (characterized more by usefulness than by fashionableness) · gd glic (acting with or showing good judgement) · bg забележим (easily perceived, appreciable) · bg чувствителен (able to feel or perceive) · ro considerabil (easily perceived, appreciable) · ro rațional (acting with or showing good judgement) · lt lengvai suvokiamas (easily perceived, appreciable) · fr raisonnable (acting with or showing good judgement) · pl rozsądny (acting with or showing good judgement) · ru рациона́льный (acting with or showing good judgement) · hu értelmes (acting with or showing good judgement) · nl gevoelig (able to feel or perceive) · tr ayırdında (olmak) (aware of something) · it logico (characterized more by usefulness than by fashionableness) · fi järkevä (acting with or showing good judgement) · it percepibile (perceptible by the mind) · sv förnuftig (acting with or showing good judgement) · ro chibzuit (characterized more by usefulness than by fashionableness) · tr dişe dokunur (easily perceived, appreciable) · got 𐌰𐌽𐌳𐌰𐌸𐌰𐌷𐍄𐍃 (acting with or showing good judgement)