sensibility
noun
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The meanings of sensibility run the gamut from mere sensation to excessive sentimentality. In between is a capacity for delicate appreciation, a sense often pluralized. In Jane Austen's books, sensibility is mostly an admirable quality she attributes to, or finds lacking in, her characters: "He had ... a sensibility to what was amiable and lovely" (of Mr. Elliot in Persuasion). In Sense and Sensibility, however, Austen starts out by ascribing to Marianne sensibleness, on the one hand, but an "excess of sensibility" on the other: "Her sorrows, her joys, could have no moderation ... she was everything but prudent."
Examples of sensibility in a Sentence
Kalpana Sunder, CNN, 11 Mar. 2025
The menu is a reflection of Chef Limoges' dual influences of New England sensibility and West Coast innovation.
—Noel Burgess, Forbes, 11 Mar. 2025
There’s something distinctly old-world about his sensibility: the flamboyant style and fashion-model cheekbones, the unabashed showmanship of his live performances, his reliance not on production bells and whistles but the sheer force of his voice.
—Liam Hess, Vogue, 6 Mar. 2025
Custom sofas and tables, penned by Pininfarina, add to the contemporary sensibility.
—Tristan Rutherford, Robb Report, 2 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sensibility
Cite this Entry
“Sensibility.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sensibility. Accessed 14 Mar. 2025.
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sensibility
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