sentience

noun

sen·​tience ˈsen(t)-sh(ē-)ən(t)s How to pronounce sentience (audio)
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 If plants possess sentience, what is the morally appropriate response? Zoë Schlanger, The New York Review of Books, 13 Sep. 2024 His freakish sense of sentience is probably the most human thing about him. Leah Faye Cooper, Vogue, 14 Aug. 2024 Animals at the continuum’s other end—including great apes, cetaceans (whales, dolphins, and porpoises), and elephants—possess a complex consciousness and self-consciousness, exquisite sentience, robust general intelligence, and a powerful sense of autonomy. Steven M. Wise, Foreign Affairs, 28 Apr. 2015 At some point along this continuum, however, a primitive level of consciousness and sentience kicks in. Steven M. Wise, Foreign Affairs, 28 Apr. 2015 See all Example Sentences for sentience 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sentience.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1839, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of sentience was in 1839

Dictionary Entries Near sentience

Cite this Entry

“Sentience.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sentience. Accessed 5 Oct. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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