

(Latin: feeling, perception through physical awareness; to discern or detect by touch, smell, taste, sight, hearing, etc.)

The words in this list refer either to physical or mental perceptions, or a combination of both of them.

extrasensory (adjective), more extrasensory, most extrasensory
1. Beyond the normal function of a person's feelings or perceptions: Helen's more extrasensory ability to predict the future was amazingly accurate.
2. Without the need for hearing, seeing, touching, tasting, or smelling: Mark has an unusual extrasensory talent in perceiving things without the need to utilize his normal physical perceptions.
hemisensory (s) (noun), hemisensories (pl)
The loss of feeling on one side of the body: Marcus has been going to physical therapy three times a week in an effort to overcome the hemisensory he has on his left side.
Very easily offended or having hurt feelings.

Very easily offended or upset.
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hypersensitivity (s) (noun), hypersensitivities (pl)
hypersensitization (s) (noun), hypersensitizations (pl)
hypersensual (adjective), more hypersensual, most hypersensual
hyposensitiveness (s) (noun) (usually no plural)
An abnormally low response to bodily functions or reactions: The hyposensitiveness of Carol's sister to the pain in her broken kneecap resulted in her not seeking medical attention for several days because she thought it was just a bruise.
hyposensitivity (s) (noun), hyposensitivities (pl)
1. Less than a normal response or reaction to stimuli: The doctor was trying to determine the degree of nerve damage in Helen's arm by brushing it with a feather, but the hyposensitivity she was experiencing delayed her response.
2. An overreaction of the immune system (defense against infection), to an antigen (a protein recognized as foreign to the body): Although protective immunity is meant to help people fight a disease, some hypersensitivities are related to allergies that can lead to tissue damage and disease.
insensate (adjective), more insensate, most insensate
1. A reference to being inanimate and apparently without feeling regarding what is going on in the area: Jerry's dog was sleeping so soundly, that it seemed to be as insensate as a log.
2. Pertaining to a lack of common sense or reasonable thinking: Jerry heard the man at the restaurant make insensate comments about the waiter's racial background.
Without control of one's feelings, foolish, brutal.
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Stupid or foolish rage.
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insensately (adverb), more insensately, most insensately
In a manner that is foolish, unfeeling, and inconsiderate of the feelings of others: Some people, when riding their bicycles, act most insensately, when they almost run into pedestrians and ride in front of cars, not even signaling when they are turning.
insensateness (s) (noun) (no plural)
A condition of being foolish, without normal feelings for anyone else: Always a busy man, when Josh was under pressure, he displayed an insensateness that was not normal for him.
insensibility (s) (noun), insensibilities (pl)
insensible (adjective), more insensible, most insensible
Lacking feeling or being indifferent about what's going on: Henry's hands were so cold that he was insensible to any pain.
insensibly (adverb), more insensibly, most insensibly
In a condition that is unfeeling, and without thought or consideration for others: The last person who got on the bus insensibly pushed his way into the others and stepped on the toes of at least one other passenger.
insensitive (adjective), more insensitive, most insensitive
1. Descriptive of being deprived of the power to feel; unconscious; unheeding or unmindful as to what is going on: After the car accident, Zeb was very insensitive to his environment and others around him for several minutes.
2. Conveying a lack of awareness of other people's feelings and being unable to respond to them properly: School bullies are among the most insensitive people in a school.

If you would like to take self-scoring quizzes over many of the words in this section, then click on these Sensory Quizzes so you can see how much you know about the following "senso-, sensi-" words or learn more about them.

Related-word units meaning feeling: aesth-; pass-, pati-; patho-.