sen·si·tive

(sĕn′sĭ-tĭv)

adj.

1. Capable of perceiving with a sense or senses: Aristotle held that animals have a sensitive soul, but only humans have a rational one.

2. Responsive or capable of responding to a chemical stimulus or substance. Used especially of a cell, tissue, or organism.

a. Susceptible to slight differences or changes in the environment: a plant that is sensitive to rapid changes in temperature; heat-sensitive enzymes.

b. Readily altered by the action of an agent: film that is sensitive to light.

c. Registering slight differences or changes of condition. Used of an instrument.

a. Easily irritated: sensitive skin.

b. Predisposed to inflammation as a result of preexisting allergy or disease: People with celiac disease are sensitive to gluten.

a. Aware of or careful about the attitudes, feelings, or circumstances of others: The book is a sensitive treatment of a troubled friendship.

b. Easily hurt, upset, or offended: Teenagers tend to be especially sensitive about their appearance.

6. Fluctuating or tending to fluctuate, especially in price: sensitive stocks.

7. Of or relating to secret or classified information: sensitive defense data; holds a sensitive position in the State Department.

1. A sensitive person.

2. One held to be endowed with psychic or occult powers.

[Middle English, from Old French sensitif, from Medieval Latin sēnsitīvus, from Latin sēnsus, sense; see sense.]

sen′si·tive·ly adv.

sen′si·tive·ness n.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

sensitive

(ˈsɛnsɪtɪv)

adj

1. (Physiology) 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. (Physiology) 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. (Photography) photog having a high sensitivity: a sensitive emulsion.

9. (Government, Politics & Diplomacy) connected with matters affecting national security, esp through access to classified information

10. (Stock Exchange) (of a stock market or prices) quickly responsive to external influences and thus fluctuating or tending to fluctuate

11. (Commerce) (of a stock market or prices) quickly responsive to external influences and thus fluctuating or tending to fluctuate

[C14: from Medieval Latin sēnsitīvus, from Latin sentīre to feel]

ˈsensitively adv

ˈsensitiveness n

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

sen•si•tive

(ˈsɛn sɪ tɪv)

adj.

1. endowed with sensation; having perception through the senses.

2. readily or excessively affected by external influences.

3. responsive to the feelings of others.

4. easily hurt or offended.

5. Physiol. having a low threshold of sensation or feeling.

6. especially responsive to certain agents, as light: sensitive photographic film.

7. highly secret or delicate; requiring prudence: sensitive diplomatic issues.

8. constructed to measure small degrees of change: a sensitive thermometer.

9. marked by high radio sensitivity.

10. a person who is sensitive.

11. a person with psychic powers; medium.

[1350–1400; Middle English sensitif(e) < Middle French sensitif < Medieval Latin sēnsitīvus]

sen′si•tive•ly, adv.

sen′si•tive•ness, n.

sensitive

Requiring special protection from disclosure that could cause embarrassment, compromise, or threat to the security of the sponsoring power. May be applied to an agency, installation, person, position, document, material, or activity.

Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms. US Department of Defense 2005.

sensible

– sensitive

1. 'sensible'

A sensible person makes good decisions and judgements based on reason rather than emotion.

She was a sensible girl and did not panic.

2. 'sensitive'

Sensitive has two meanings.

A sensitive person is easily upset or offended by other people's remarks or behaviour.

He is quite sensitive about his weight.

A sensitive child can get very upset by people arguing.

If someone is sensitive, they show awareness or understanding of other people's feelings.

It would not be very sensitive to ask him about his divorce.

His experiences helped him become less selfish and more sensitive.

Collins COBUILD English Usage © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 2004, 2011, 2012

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun	1.	sensitive - someone who serves as an intermediary between the living and the dead; "he consulted several mediums" spiritualist, medium psychic - a person apparently sensitive to things beyond the natural range of perception
Adj.	1.	sensitive - responsive to physical stimuli; "a mimosa's leaves are sensitive to touch"; "a sensitive voltmeter"; "sensitive skin"; "sensitive to light" responsive - readily reacting or replying to people or events or stimuli; showing emotion; "children are often the quickest and most responsive members of the audience" sensible, sensitive - able to feel or perceive; "even amoeba are sensible creatures"; "the more sensible parts of the skin" susceptible - (often followed by `of' or `to') yielding readily to or capable of; "susceptible to colds"; "susceptible of proof" insensitive - not responsive to physical stimuli; "insensitive to radiation"
	2.	sensitive - being susceptible to the attitudes, feelings, or circumstances of others; "sensitive to the local community and its needs" responsive - readily reacting or replying to people or events or stimuli; showing emotion; "children are often the quickest and most responsive members of the audience" insensitive - deficient in human sensibility; not mentally or morally sensitive; "insensitive to the needs of the patients"
	3.	sensitive - able to feel or perceive; "even amoeba are sensible creatures"; "the more sensible parts of the skin" sensible aware, cognisant, cognizant - (sometimes followed by `of') having or showing knowledge or understanding or realization or perception; "was aware of his opponent's hostility"; "became aware of her surroundings"; "aware that he had exceeded the speed limit" conscious - knowing and perceiving; having awareness of surroundings and sensations and thoughts; "remained conscious during the operation"; "conscious of his faults"; "became conscious that he was being followed" sensitive - responsive to physical stimuli; "a mimosa's leaves are sensitive to touch"; "a sensitive voltmeter"; "sensitive skin"; "sensitive to light"
	4.	sensitive - hurting; "the tender spot on his jaw" sore, tender, raw painful - causing physical or psychological pain; "worked with painful slowness"
	5.	sensitive - of or pertaining to classified information or matters affecting national security classified - official classification of information or documents; withheld from general circulation; "thousands of classified documents have now been declassified"

sensitive

adjective

1. thoughtful, kind, understanding, feeling, kindly, concerned, patient, responsive, intuitive, receptive, attentive, perceptive, considerate, tactful, unselfish He was always so sensitive and caring.

2. delicate, tender, fragile, raw, painful, sore, easily damaged gentle cosmetics for sensitive skin

3. susceptible to, vulnerable to, responsive to, reactive to, sensitized to, easily affected by My eyes are overly sensitive to bright light.

4. touchy, defensive, paranoid, neurotic, uptight (informal), twitchy (informal), chippy (informal), thin-skinned, oversensitive, easily upset, easily offended, hyper-sensitive, easily hurt, umbrageous (rare) Young people are very sensitive about their appearance.
touchy tough, insensitive, callous, hard, hardened, uncaring, thick-skinned, unfeeling

5. tricky, difficult, delicate, thorny, touchy, ticklish Employment is a very sensitive issue.

6. secret, private, confidential, classified, hush-hush (informal) He instructed staff to shred sensitive documents.

7. precise, fine, acute, keen, responsive, perceptive an extremely sensitive microscope
precise imprecise, inexact, approximate, unperceptive

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

sensitive

adjective

1. Able to receive and respond to external stimuli:

impressible, impressionable, responsive, sensible, sentient, susceptible, susceptive.

2. Of or relating to sensation or the senses:

sensational, sensorial, sensory, sensual, sensuous.

3. Possessing or displaying perceptions of great accuracy and sensitivity:

acute, incisive, keen, penetrating, perceptive, probing, sharp, trenchant.

4. Readily stirred by emotion:

emotional, feeling.

5. Showing sensitivity and skill in dealing with others:

delicate, diplomatic, discreet, politic, tactful.

6. Requiring great tact or skill:

delicate, ticklish, touch-and-go, touchy, tricky.

Translations

حَسّاسحَسَّاسمُرْهَف الحِس، ذو ذَوْقٍ رفيع

citlivý

følsom

empfindlich sensibel sensitiv feinfühlig

ευαίσθητος

sensible susceptible delicado sensitivo

herkkäaltis

sensible sensible à susceptible sympathique délicat

osjetljiv

érzékenytúl érzékeny

hörundsártilfinninganæmurviîkvæmur, næmur

sensibile sensibilit...sensibilizzare delicato

傷つきやすい敏感繊細

민감한

jautriai reaguojantisturintis subtilų meninį skonį

emocionālsizjustsjutīgsjūtīgssmalks

citlivý

dovzetenobčutljiv

känslig

ซึ่งไวต่อสิ่งกระตุ้น

duyarlı duygulu hassas içli alıngan

nhạy cảm

敏感的易受伤害的艺术感觉好的容易生气的

sensitive

[ˈsensɪtɪv] ADJ

1. (= emotionally aware, responsive) [person] → sensible; [story, novel, film] → lleno de sensibilidad
to be sensitive to sth → ser sensible a algo, ser consciente de algo

2. (= touchy) [person] → susceptible
to be sensitive about sth: young people are very sensitive about their appearance → a los jóvenes les preocupa mucho su aspecto
he is deeply sensitive to criticism → es muy susceptible a las críticas

3. (= delicate) [issue, subject] → delicado; [region, area] → conflictivo
this is politically very sensitive → esto es muy conflictivo or muy delicado desde el punto de vista político

4. (= confidential) [document, report, information] → confidencial

5. (= easily affected) [skin] → delicado, sensible; [teeth] → sensible

6. (= highly responsive) [instrument] → sensible (Phot) [paper, film] → sensible (Fin) [market] → volátil
to be sensitive to light/heat → ser sensible a la luz/al calor

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

sensitive

[ˈsɛnsɪtɪv] adj

(= easily upset) [person] → sensible
She's very sensitive → Elle est très sensible.
to be sensitive about sth
He is very sensitive about it → C'est un point très sensible chez lui.
He is very sensitive about his weight → Son poids est un point très sensible chez lui.

(= aware of others' feelings) [person] → sensible; [remark] → aimable
to be sensitive to sth → être sensible à qch
The teacher must be sensitive to each child's needs → L'enseignant doit être sensible aux besoins de chaque enfant.

(= delicate) [skin, eyes] → sensible
to be sensitive to sth → être sensible à qch

[instrument] → sensible

(= controversial) [issue, topic] → sensible

sensitive

adj

(emotionally) person → sensibel, empfindsam; (= easily hurt) → empfindlich; (= understanding) → einfühlsam; novel, film, remark → einfühlend; to be sensitive about something → in Bezug auf etw (acc) → empfindlich sein; she is very sensitive to criticism/these things → sie reagiert sehr empfindlich auf Kritik/diese Dinge

(physically) instruments, part of body, leaves, plants → empfindlich; (Phot) emulsion, film → lichtempfindlich; (= delicate) balance, adjustment → fein; (fig) topic, issue → heikel, prekär; sensitive to heat/light → wärme-/lichtempfindlich; his wound is sensitive to touch → seine Wunde tut weh, wenn man sie berührt; he has access to some highly sensitive information → er hat Zugang zu streng vertraulichen Informationen; his visit comes at a sensitive time → er macht diesen Besuch zu einem schwierigen Zeitpunkt; just how sensitive are these figures? → inwiefern sind diese Zahlen als vertraulich zu behandeln?

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

sensitive

[ˈsɛnsɪtɪv] adj (person, tooth, instrument, film) sensitive (to) → sensibile (a); (delicate, skin, question) → delicato/a; (easily offended) → suscettibile
he is very sensitive about it → è meglio non toccare quel tasto con lui

sensitive

(ˈsensitiv) adjective

1. (usually with to) strongly or easily affected (by something). sensitive skin; sensitive to light.

2. (usually with about or to) easily hurt or offended. She is very sensitive to criticism.

3. having or showing artistic good taste. a sensitive writer; a sensitive performance.

ˈsensitively adverb

ˈsensitiveness noun

ˌsensiˈtivity noun

sensitive

→ حَسَّاس citlivý følsom empfindlich ευαίσθητος sensible herkkä sensible osjetljiv sensibile 傷つきやすい 민감한 gevoelig følsom wrażliwy sensível чувствительный känslig ซึ่งไวต่อสิ่งกระตุ้น duyarlı nhạy cảm 敏感的

sen·si·tive

a. sensitivo-a, sensible.

sensitive

adj sensible; (person, empathetic) sensible; (person, easily hurt) susceptible; (subject, delicate) delicado; a test sensitive for..una prueba sensible para...sensitive to her needs.. sensible a sus necesidades...He's so sensitive..Es tan susceptible...a sensitive subject..un tema delicado