sapient

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sapient

/ˈseɪ.pi.ənt/ UK
/ˈseɪ.pi.ənt/ US
/ˈsæ-/ US

Where it comes from

The adjective is derived from Late Middle English sapient (“learned, wise”), from Old French sapient, or from its etymon Latin sapient-, a stem of sapiēns (“(adjective) discerning, judicious, wise; (noun) wise man, sage”), the present active participle of sapiō (“to have a flavour of, taste like; (figurative) to have good taste; to have discernment or sense; to be prudent, sensible, or wise”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *seh₁p-, *sep- (“to taste; to try out”). Doublet of savant.

The noun is derived from the adjective, and also influenced by Latin sapiēns (noun) (see above).

adjective more sapient · most sapient

formal Possessing discernment and wisdom; learned, wise. [To Edgar] Come ſit thou here moſt learned Iuſtice / [To the Fool] Thou ſapient ſir ſit here, […]
Similar: astute, clairvoyant, deep, frood, grounded, judicious, oracular, perspicacious, politic, profound, prudent, quick-witted · Opposite: insapient, nonsapient
broadly, derogatory, ironic Attempting to appear discerning or wise. Novv tell me, dignified and ſapient ſir, / My man of morals, nurtur'd in the ſhades / Of Academus, is this falſe or true?
broadly, rare Followed by of: aware or knowledgeable of.
broadly Of a lifeform or species: possessing human-like intelligence or degree of self-awareness. When EXPLORATION blazed through space / The first sky-trail to far-flung stars, / And found men, sapient, on Mars, / He gained renown's most honored place.
Similar: sentient, intelligent, self-aware, sapient · Opposite: nonsapient
Of, pertaining to, or characteristic of Homo sapiens (modern human beings).
obsolete, rare Having a (good) flavour or taste; sapid.

noun sapients

A wise person; a sage. "She canna do that," said another sapient of the same profession— […]
broadly An intelligent, self-aware being. Every since Trausti had shown him the X-rays, Leif had a theory that Halla Dannto was of non-Earth origin. It seemed to him a possibility that the Cold War Corps of March might have contacted hitherto unknown sapients on some just discovered interstellar planet, and were using them in the cold war a
Similar: intelligence, sentient, sapient, sophont
A human being of the species Homo sapiens.

Translations

Every language

adj possessing discernment and wisdom — see also learned, wise

Español	sapiente
Português	sapiente
Ελληνικά	σοφός sofós
Русский	разу́мный razúmnyj

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MLA

"sapient." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/sapient. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

sapient. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/sapient

Chicago

"sapient." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/sapient.

BibTeX

@misc{sapient_2026,
  title = {sapient},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/sapient},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}