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

This risk isn’t surprising, given that Anthropic has been relatively upfront about the AI sentience debate playing out inside its walls. — Kyle Orland, ArsTechnica, 27 Oct. 2026

The current debates on consciousness, sentience, and AI would profit from a substantial input from philosophers who are familiar with that tradition. — Literary Hub, 16 Sep. 2026

The search for awareness is now centered on machines, with the debate over artificial-intelligence sentience forcing scientists to take a hard look at what cognition and consciousness actually mean. — Andrea Gawrylewski, Scientific American, 1 Sep. 2026

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

Word History

First Known Use

1839, in the meaning defined at sense 1