sensibility

Noun

sensibility (countable and uncountable, plural sensibilities)

1. (in plural, often) Emotions or feelings arising from or relating to aesthetic or moral standards, especially those which are sensitive and thus likely to be hurt or offended.
   • I apologize if I offended your sensibilities, but that’s the truth of the matter.
   • There is no way more sure of rousing the sensibilities of a commercial people, than by touching their pockets.1855, William H[ickling] Prescott, “View of the Netherlands”, in History of the Reign of Philip the Second, King of Spain, volume I, Boston, Mass.: Phillips, Sampson, and Company, →OCLC, book II...

   Synonyms:

   susceptibilities

2. (uncountable) The ability to feel, perceive, or sense; responsiveness to sensory stimuli; sensitivity; also, the degree to which someone or something (especially a sensory organ or tissue) is able to respond to sensory stimuli.
   • [B]y the ſharpnes therof [i.e., of “fumosity” caused by undigested meat], it prycketh and annoyeth the ſynewes, whiche make ſenſibilitie, the rootes of whome, ar in the brayn, and from thenſe paſſeth through all the body.153[9], Thomas Elyot, “Of Replecion”, in The Castel of Helth […], London: […] Thomæ Bertheleti […], →OCLC, book III, folio 54, recto
   • Perſons in fevers, and I believe, in moſt maniacal caſes, experience great torment from their preternatural acuteneſs. An increaſed, no leſs than an impaired ſenſibility, induces a ſtate of diſeaſe and ſuffering.1802, William Paley, “The Goodness of the Deity”, in Natural Theology: Or, Evidences of the Existence and Attributes of the Deity, Collected from the Appearances of Nature, London: […] [F]or R[obert]...

   Antonyms:

   insensibility, nonsensibility, unsensibility

3. (uncountable) The quality of being easily affected by external forces or stimuli; also, of a measuring instrument: the quality of being able to detect small changes in the environment.
   • About an Attempt to examine the Motions and Senſibility of the Carteſian Materia ſubtilis, or the Æther, with a pair of Bellovvs (made of a Bladder) in the exhausted Receiver [chapter name].1669, Robert Boyle, “Experiment XXXVIII”, in A Continuation of New Experiments Physico-Mechanical, Touching the Spring and Weight of the Air, and Their Effects. The I. Part. […], Oxford, Oxfordshire...
   • The high sensibility of the divided ring electrometer renders this test really very easy, as not more than from ten to twenty cells are required; […]1860 January 4, W[illia]m Thomson [William Thomson, 1st Baron Kelvin?], “On Instruments and Methods for Observing Atmospheric Electricity”, in Proceedings of the Philosophical Society of Glasgow...
4. (uncountable) Keen sensitivity to matters of creative expression or feeling; artistic or emotional awareness.
   • Our Lord [Jesus] is ſaied to haue indurated Pharaoes hart, not that he brought the hardnes it ſelfe, but for that his deſertes ſo requiring, he did not mollifie it, vvith ſenſibilitie of fear infuſed from aboue.1609, The Holie Bible, […] (Douay–Rheims Bible), Doway: Laurence Kellam, […], →OCLC, Exodus 7, annotations, page 174
   • Modesty is not only an ornament, but also a guard to virtue. […] It is such an exquisite sensibility, as warns her to shun the first appearance of every thing which is hurtful.1711 December 4 (Gregorian calendar), [Joseph Addison], “FRIDAY, November 24, 1711”, in The Spectator, number 231; republished in Alexander Chalmers, editor, The Spectator; a New Edition, […], volume...

   Antonyms:

   insensibility, nonsensibility

   1. (archaic, specifically) Affected or excessive artistic or emotional awareness; the fact or quality of being overemotional; overemotionality.
      • ―Dear ſenſibility! ſource inexhauſted of all that's precious in our joys, or coſtly in our ſorrovvs!1768, Mr. Yorick [pseudonym; Laurence Sterne], “The Bourbonnois”, in A Sentimental Journey through France and Italy, volume I, London: […] T. Becket and P. A. De Hondt, […], →OCLC, page 182
      • People of ſenſibility have ſeldom good tempers. The formation of the temper is the cool vvork of reaſon, vvhen, as life advances, ſhe mixes vvith happy art, jarring elements.1791 (date written), Mary Wollstonecraft, “Animadversions on Some of the Writers who have Rendered Women Objects of Pity, Bordering on Contempt”, in A Vindication of the Rights of Woman: With...
5. (archaic) Awareness; also, understanding.
   • [M]any vvho mark vvith ſuch accuracy the courſe of time, appear to have little ſenſibility of the decline of life. Every man has ſomething to do vvhich he neglects; every man has faults to conquer vvhich he delays to combat.1759 February 10, [Samuel Johnson], “The Idler. No. 44.”, in The Universal Chronicle, or Weekly Gazette, number 45, London: […] R. Stevens, […], →OCLC, page 41, column 2
6. (archaic) The capacity of something to be perceived by the senses; perceptibility.

   Antonyms:

   insensibility

7. (archaic) Of a plant or one of its parts: the ability to move in response to a stimulus.
   • The oscillatory and jerking movements of the leaves of Dionæa, which resemble those of the hypocotyl of the cabbage, are highly remarkable, as seen under the microscope. They continue night and day for some months, and are displayed by young unexpanded leaves, and by old ones which have lost their...1880, Charles Darwin, assisted by Francis Darwin, “The Circumnutating Movements of the Several Parts of Mature Plants”, in The Power of Movement in Plants, London: John Murray, […], →OCLC, page 261
8. (uncountable) The ability to perceive or sense as opposed to the ability to understand; also, in the philosophy of the German philosopher Immanuel Kant (1724–1804): emotion or feeling as opposed to the will.
   • [S]enſibility is but a ſpecies of the body; but vnderſtanding of the life: and therefore they preferred intellect before ſence: Senſible things are thoſe that are to be ſeen or touched. Intelligible can only be vnderſtood by the minde.1610, Saint Augustine, “How the Platonists Conceiued of the Naturall Part of Phylosophy”, in J[ohn] H[ealey], transl., St. Augustine, of the Citie of God: […], [London]: […] George Eld, →OCLC, book...
   • [page 33] This predicate (attribute) is only so far applied to things, as they appear to us—that is, as they are objects of sensibility. The constant form of this Receptivity which we name Sensibility, is a necessary condition of all relationships, wherein objects are envisaged as external to us...1838, Immanuel Kant, “Transcendental Exposition of the Conception of Space”; “Introduction. Idea of a Transcendental Logic. I. Of Logic in General.”, in [Francis Haywood], transl., Critick of Pure...
9. (obsolete) An emotional sense or understanding of something.
10. (obsolete) A sign or token of appreciation or gratitude.
11. (historical, uncountable) Synonym of Empfindsamkeit.

    Synonyms:

    Empfindsamkeit