Phrase guide

climate sensitivity

noun · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

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1

noun

Meaning 1

The sensitivity of the Earth's climate to additions of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere: the degree of effect that such additions have; a numerical value as a metric thereof; any of various educated estimates for the real (unknown) value.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: government, politics, sciences

Examples

  • equilibrium climate sensitivity (ECS)
  • Scientists have been modeling and estimating the climate sensitivity for decades, and they try to group their estimates into best-case, worst-case, and likeliest-case categories.
  • To speak of the [one true real] climate sensitivity, we must speak of several plausible climate sensitivities and of which ones we consider likeliest.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.