sentient

adjective

sen·​tient ˈsen(t)-sh(ē-)ənt  ˈsen-tē-ənt 

1

: capable of sensing or feeling : conscious of or responsive to the sensations of seeing, hearing, feeling, tasting, or smelling

sentient beings

Some among the group of potters … speak of the kiln as though it were sentient.

—Barry Lopez

But the really intriguing question is a hypothetical one. What would Google's response be if it realised that it actually had a sentient machine on its hands?

—John Naughton

But the terrible silence and emptiness seemed to symbolize her future—she felt as though the house, the street, the world were all empty, and she alone left sentient in a lifeless universe.

—Edith Wharton

2

: aware

sentient of the danger posed by the approaching hurricane

But the strange thing is that a boy so sentient of his surroundings should have been so insensible to the real world about him.

—W. A. White

3

: finely sensitive in perception or feeling

a sentient author with beautiful prose

As every sentient diplomat knows, diplomacy uses the reputation of power to achieve what power itself often cannot achieve, or can achieve only at greater and sometimes excessive cost.

—Colin L. Powell

sentiently adverb

Did you know?

You may have guessed that sentient has something to do with the senses. The initial spelling sent- or sens- is often a giveaway for such a meaning. A sentient being is one who perceives or responds to sensations of whatever kind—sight, hearing, touch, taste, or smell. Sentient ultimately comes from the Latin verb sentire, which means "to feel" or "to perceive." (The Latin noun sensus means "sense.") A few related English words that descend from the same Latin root are sentiment and sentimental, which have to do with emotions, sensual, which relates to more physical sensations, and the trio of assent, consent, and dissent, which involve expressions of agreement (or disagreement in the case of dissent) in thought and feeling with another.

Synonyms

• alive
• apprehensive
• aware
• cognizant
• conscious
• mindful
• sensible
• ware
• witting

Examples of sentient in a Sentence

sentient of the danger posed by the approaching hurricane

Recent Examples on the Web

And yet, three of four Gen Z survey respondents think AI is sentient, or will be soon. —Neil J. Rubenking, PC Magazine, 2 May 2025

Like any team, the Ochi puppeteers had to practice rigorously in order to create the appearance of single sentient, curious, bug-hungry baby. —Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 29 Apr. 2025

That these effects provide the spark of self-aware experience, as well as the opportunity for sentient beings to inject free will into a decision, where the rest of the brain would appear to look much more like a deterministic computer algorithm. —New Atlas, 27 Apr. 2025

As the galaxy tries to rebuild and reconnect following the (temporary) destruction of the mass relays, their expertise could come in handy, and the political implications of them being given a second chance among the other sentient species is a tantalizing story thread to follow. —Fran Ruiz, Space.com, 25 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Latin sentient-, sentiens, present participle of sentire to perceive, feel

First Known Use

1604, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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Kids Definition

sentient

adjective

sen·​tient ˈsen-ch(ē-)ənt 

1

: capable of sensing or feeling

sentient beings

2

: aware

sentient of one's surroundings

Medical Definition

sentient

adjective

sen·​tient ˈsen-ch(ē-)ənt  ˈsent-ē-ənt 

: responsive to or conscious of sense impressions

sentiently adverb