Standard Lemma guide

sensory

adj · noun · 6 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.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Canada, General-American, Received-Pronunciation: /ˈsɛn.sə.ɹi/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Australian, New-Zealand: /ˈsen.sə.ɹi/
  • rhymes with -ɛnsəɹi
  • CMU ARPABET: S EH1 N S ER0 IY0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Of the physical senses or sensation.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Conveying nerve impulses from the sense organs to the nerve centers.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

Topics: anatomy, medicine, neuroanatomy, neurology, neuroscience, sciences

Examples

  • sensory neurons

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: afferent

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

The sensorium.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: dated

Topics: biology, natural-sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

An organ or faculty of sense.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: obsolete

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

adjective

Meaning 5

involving or derived from the senses

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • sensory experience
  • sensory channels

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: sensorial

Antonyms: extrasensory

6

adjective

Meaning 6

relating to or concerned in sensation

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the sensory cortex
  • sensory organs

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: sensational

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *sent-der. Proto-Italic *sentiō Latin sentiō Proto-Indo-European *-tus Proto-Italic *-tus Latin -tus Latin sēnsusbor. Proto-Germanic *sinnaz Frankish *sinnbor. Vulgar Latin *sennus Old French sensbor. Middle English sense English sense Proto-Indo-European *-tōr Proto-Italic *-tōr Latin -tor Proto-Indo-European *-(i)yós Proto-Italic *-ijos Proto-Italic *-ios Old Latin -ios Latin -ius Latin -tōriusder. Middle English -orie English -ory English sensory From sense + -ory.

Across languages

Translations

30 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Afrikaans: sensories — of the senses or sensation
  • Arabic: حِسِّيّ (ḥissiyy) — of the senses or sensation
  • Arabic: حِسِّيَّة (ḥissiyya) — of the senses or sensation
  • Bulgarian: сетивен (setiven) — of the senses or sensation
  • Catalan: sensorial — of the senses or sensation
  • Catalan: sensori — of the senses or sensation
  • Chinese Mandarin: 感覺的 /感觉的 (gǎnjuéde) — of the senses or sensation
  • Czech: smyslový — of the senses or sensation
  • Finnish: aisti- — of the senses or sensation
  • Finnish: aistimuksellinen — of the senses or sensation
  • Finnish: aistinvarainen — of the senses or sensation
  • Finnish: sensorinen — of the senses or sensation
  • French: sensoriel — of the senses or sensation
  • German: Sinnes- — of the senses or sensation
  • German: sensorisch — of the senses or sensation
  • Greek: αισθητήριος (aisthitírios) — of the senses or sensation
  • Ido: sensala — of the senses or sensation
  • Irish: céadfach — of the senses or sensation
  • Irish: céadfaíoch — of the senses or sensation
  • Italian: sensoriale — of the senses or sensation
  • Norwegian Bokmål: sansemessig — of the senses or sensation
  • Norwegian Bokmål: sensorisk — of the senses or sensation
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: sansemessig — of the senses or sensation
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: sensorisk — of the senses or sensation
  • Portuguese: sensorial — of the senses or sensation
  • Romanian: senzorial — of the senses or sensation
  • Spanish: sensorial — of the senses or sensation
  • Spanish: sensorio — of the senses or sensation
  • Turkish: duyusal — of the senses or sensation
  • Turkish: duyumsal — of the senses or sensation