noun
sensibility
sehn-sih-BIH-lih-tee
noun
1
Emotional sensitivity, especially regarding artistic, aesthetic, or moral matters.
"Her design reflects a very modern sensibility."
"He wrote with a keen sensibility for the tragic."
2
The capacity to feel or perceive through the senses.
"The nerve damage reduced sensibility in her hand."
How to Use Sensibility
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA refined capacity to feel things — whether physical sensations or artistic and emotional responses.
Common mistake
Don't confuse with sensitivity — sensibility often implies a refined, cultivated capacity for feeling (an artistic sensibility), while sensitivity is more general responsiveness or being easily affected.
Easily confused with
Word Forms
sensibilities plural
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Her design reflects a very modern _____.
Etymology
From Late Latin sensibilitas, from Latin sensibilis, "perceptible, capable of feeling."