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
Quentin Thane Singer, Forbes.com, 13 June 2025
Lewis had always brought an essayist’s sensibility to the art of editing.
—Donovan Hohn
june 13, Literary Hub, 13 June 2025
But cracking the code of the Stitch sensibility was one thing: the hard part was translating that to CG, which was a long process.
—Bill Desowitz, IndieWire, 7 June 2025
The residences at Tributary are sophisticated homes that incorporate a Western sensibility and a design that invites the outdoors in, with open floor plans, use of local materials, and meticulous craftsmanship.
—Robb Report Studio, Robb Report, 6 June 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 18 Jun. 2025.
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