sensitivity

English · Thesaurus

AI In plain words

Writing a short explanation…

Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.

sensitivity

  • /ˌsɛn.sɪˈtɪv.ɪ.ti/ UK
  • /ˈsɛnsɪvəti/ UK, rare
  • /ˌsɛn.səˈtɪv.ə.ti/ US
  • [ˌsɛn.səˈtɪv.ə.ɾi] US
  • /ˈsɛn.sɪ.və.ti/ US, rare

Where it comes from

From sensitive + -ity.

noun sensitivities

  1. countable, uncountable The quality or state of being sensitive; sensitiveness. In any event, the incident, and the media attention it attracted, highlights the sensitivity of language politics in Singapore and is reflective of the fact that this sensitivity extends to campus life.

    Similar: delicacy

  2. countable, uncountable The ability of an organism or organ to respond to external stimuli. The single-imaging optic of the mammalian eye offers some distinct visual advantages. Such lenses can take in photons from a wide range of angles, increasing light sensitivity. They also have high spatial resolution, resolving incoming images in minute detail.
  3. countable, uncountable, of a pathogen Vulnerability to medical treatment: Synonym of susceptibility.
  4. countable, uncountable The probability, in a binary classification test, of a true positive being correctly identified. Coordinate term: specificity
  5. countable, uncountable The degree of response of an instrument to a change in an input signal. Up to 1,884 microplastic particles were found per cubic metre of seawater in some locations, up to 18 times higher than in similar tests during the last Ocean Race, which ended in 2018. Scientists noted that the sensitivity of their instruments is now higher.
  6. countable, uncountable The rate at which the player's facing direction or position changes relative to input device movement. Since he played with high sensitivity, he only needed to move the mouse a tiny distance to rotate a full 360 degrees.
  7. countable, uncountable The degree of response of a film etc. to light of a specified wavelength.

Opposite: insensitivity

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: sensitiveness, sensibility, predisposition, sensation, sensitive, tact, sense, feeling, acuity, acumen, attention, sensitization, empathy, sensitizing, tender, susceptibility

noun

Opposite: insensitivity

Translations

Every language

noun the ability of an organism or organ to respond to external stimuli

Españolsensibilidad, sensitividad
한국어감수성 gamsuseong
Françaissensibilité
DeutschEmpfindlichkeit
Italianosensibilità
Ελληνικάευαισθησία evaisthisía
Românăsensibilitate
Русскийчувстви́тельность čuvstvítelʹnostʹ, восприи́мчивость vospriímčivostʹ

noun the quality of being sensitive

Españolsensibilidad
한국어민감 min'gam
हिन्दीसंवेदनशीलता samvednaśīltā
Françaissensibilité
DeutschSensitivität, Sensibilität
Italianosensibilità
Ελληνικάευαισθησία evaisthisía
Românăsensibilitate
Русскийчувстви́тельность čuvstvítelʹnostʹ

noun (statistics) probability of a true positive being correctly identified

Españolsensibilidad
Portuguêssensibilidade
Françaissensibilité, sélectivité
DeutschSensitivität
Românăsensibilitate

noun (electronics) degree of response of an instrument to a change in an input signal

Españolsensibilidad
한국어감수성 gamsuseong
Françaissensibilité
DeutschSensitivität, Sensibilität, Empfindlichkeit
Ελληνικάευαισθησία evaisthisía
Românăsensibilitate
Русскийчувстви́тельность čuvstvítelʹnostʹ

noun (photography) degree of response of a film etc. to light of a specified wavelength

Españolsensibilidad
Portuguêssensibilidade
Françaissensibilité
DeutschEmpfindlichkeit, Sensibilität
Italianosensibilità
Ελληνικάευαισθησία evaisthisía
Românăsensibilitate
Русскийчувстви́тельность čuvstvítelʹnostʹ

Talk about this word

Cite this
MLA

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

APA

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

Chicago

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

BibTeX
@misc{sensitivity_2026,
  title = {sensitivity},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/sensitivity},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}