sentience

noun

sen·​tience ˈsen(t)-sh(ē-)ən(t)s How to pronounce sentience (audio)
ˈsen-tē-ən(t)s
1
: a sentient quality or state
2
: feeling or sensation as distinguished from perception and thought

Examples of sentience in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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In Super Mario Wonder (2023), the pipes themselves wriggle into sentience. Literary Hub, 11 Feb. 2026 The difference between ancient catalogs and modern AI isn’t the appearance of a new kind of sentience. Big Think, 9 Feb. 2026 Human reactions to Moltbook on X were piling up as of Friday, with some human users quick to acknowledge that any behavior that seemed to mirror true, human consciousness or sentience was (for now) a mirage. Jared Perlo, NBC news, 30 Jan. 2026 Disrobed and taken apart, Sophia was carried off, the machinery revealed, any semblance of sentience evaporating the moment the costume came off. Dan Turello, New Yorker, 10 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for sentience

Word History

First Known Use

1839, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of sentience was in 1839

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Sentience.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sentience. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.

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