sentience
noun
sen·tience
ˈsen(t)-sh(ē-)ən(t)s 
ˈsen-tē-ən(t)s
1
: a sentient quality or state
2
: feeling or sensation as distinguished from perception and thought
Examples of sentience in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Today programmers are claiming their AI creations have achieved sentience; Google fired a senior developer who claimed their chatbot had gained self-awareness.
—
Adam Verner
september 3, Literary Hub, 3 Sep. 2025
And isn’t that a kind of sentience, in a way?
—John Werner, Forbes.com, 13 Aug. 2025
The prospect of machine sentience hangs over all of this like a cloud.
—Dan Rockmore, New Yorker, 9 Aug. 2025
An independent review of the evidence for sentience in animals such as octopuses, crabs and lobsters, led by Birch, contributed to these species being granted greater protection alongside all vertebrates in 2022 under the UK Animal Welfare (Sentience) Act.
—Mariana Lenharo & Nature Magazine, Scientific American, 6 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sentience
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Adam Verner
september 3, Literary Hub, 3 Sep. 2025
And isn’t that a kind of sentience, in a way?
—John Werner, Forbes.com, 13 Aug. 2025
The prospect of machine sentience hangs over all of this like a cloud.
—Dan Rockmore, New Yorker, 9 Aug. 2025
An independent review of the evidence for sentience in animals such as octopuses, crabs and lobsters, led by Birch, contributed to these species being granted greater protection alongside all vertebrates in 2022 under the UK Animal Welfare (Sentience) Act.
—Mariana Lenharo & Nature Magazine, Scientific American, 6 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sentience
Cite this Entry
“Sentience.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sentience. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share