haptic

adjective

hap·​tic ˈhap-tik 

1

: relating to or based on the sense of touch

2

: characterized by a predilection for the sense of touch

a haptic person

Did you know?

Haptic felt its way into English in the 19th century as a back-formation of haptics, a noun which was borrowed from the New Latin hapticē (meaning "science of touch," and derived ultimately from the Greek haptesthai, meaning "to touch") in the 1700s. Haptic was originally a medical synonym for tactile. By the 20th century, it had developed a psychological sense, describing individuals whose perception supposedly depended primarily on touch rather than sight. Although almost no one today divides humans into haptic and visual personalities, English retains the broadened psychological sense of haptic as well as the older "tactile" sense.

Examples of haptic in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In a clever flex of corporate synergy, Apple promoted its first summer blockbuster with the release of a haptic trailer that imitates the purr of an F1 engine in the palms of your hands. —David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 17 June 2025

Apple premiered the haptic trailer during this week’s 2025 Worldwide Developers Conference. —Leslie Katz, Forbes.com, 12 June 2025

Dozens of sensors in the hand generate haptic feedback, so users can better gauge grip strength and control. —Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 11 June 2025

Internally, each Joy-Con 2 features motion sensors and haptic feedback motors. —PC Magazine, 10 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

back-formation from haptics

First Known Use

1860, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for haptic

• monosynaptic
• presynaptic

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Medical Definition

haptic

adjective

hap·​tic ˈhap-tik 

variants also haptical

-ti-kəl 

1

: relating to or based on the sense of touch

the haptic mode of perception

—Colin Gordon

2

: characterized by a predilection for the sense of touch

a haptic person