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

The projections can take whatever physical form a ring-bearer wills, and some powerful Lanterns have conjured the shapes of living beings, though sentience is another matter. — Siddhant Adlakha, Vulture, 24 Aug. 2026

What is sophistic is therefore to let the movement from sentience to moral status and then from moral status to legal rights happen without making visible the additional premises that are necessary at each stage. — Hamilton Mann, Forbes.com, 23 Aug. 2026

In 2025, the office was hoping to tackle neuroethics — questions of sentience in brain organoids and considerations for recipients of brain-computer interfaces. — Megan Molteni, STAT, 5 June 2026

So there are a massive number of worlds out there where life could have evolved and attained sentience and spaceflight capabilities. — Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 8 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1839, in the meaning defined at sense 1