Dictionary Workbench Ondict
Word Bank Import Dict Cloud Sync

    sensitive

    Dictionary entry view. Switch to definition mode above when you know the meaning but not the word.

    sensitive
    sen‧si‧tive S3 W3 /ˈsensətɪv, ˈsensɪtɪv/ adjective
     Date: 1300-1400
     Language: Old French
     Origin: sensitif, from Medieval Latin sensitivus, from Latin sensus; ⇨ sense1
    1.  UNDERSTANDING PEOPLE able to understand other people’s feelings and problems
       OPP  insensitive:
        a sensitive and intelligent young man
        sensitive to
        It’s made me much more sensitive to the needs of the disabled.
    2.  EASILY OFFENDED easily upset or offended by events or things that people say:
        a very sensitive child
        sensitive about
        Laura’s sensitive about her weight.
        sensitive to
        Throughout her career she remained very sensitive to criticism.
        sensitive soul British English (=someone who is easily upset by small or unimportant things) ⇨ hypersensitive
    3.  EASILY AFFECTED easily affected or damaged by something such as a substance or temperature:
        Wetlands are environmentally sensitive areas.
        a baby’s sensitive skin
        sensitive to
        Older people tend to be very sensitive to cold.
        Increasing numbers of people are sensitive to cow’s milk.
    4.  SITUATION/SUBJECT a situation or subject that is sensitive needs to be dealt with very carefully, because it is secret or because it may offend people:
        Abortion is a very sensitive issue.
        sensitive matters such as national security
        highly sensitive information
    5.  REACTING TO CHANGES reacting to very small changes in light, temperature, position etc:
        a highly sensitive electronic camera
        light-sensitive/heat-sensitive etc
        light-sensitive photographic paper
    6.  ART/MUSIC ETC able to understand or express yourself through art, music, literature etc:
        a very sensitive performance
    —sensitively adverb:
        It is an issue which needs to be handled sensitively.
         
    THESAURUS
       ▪ secret known about by only a few people, who have agreed not to tell anyone else: a secret meeting place | The details of the proposal must remain secret.
       ▪ confidential used about information, especially in business or government, that is secret and not intended to be shown or told to other people: a highly confidential report | Employees’ personal details are treated as strictly confidential.
       ▪ classified used about information that the government has ordered to be kept secret from most people: He was accused of passing on classified information to the Russians in the 1950s.
       ▪ sensitive used about information that is kept secret because there would be problems if the wrong people knew it: A teenager managed to hack into sensitive US Air Force files.
       ▪ covert [only before noun] used about things that are done secretly, especially by a government or official organization: a CIA covert operation
       ▪ undercover [usually before noun] used about things that are done secretly by the police in order to catch criminals or find out information: Detectives arrested the suspect after a five-day undercover operation.
       ▪ underground an underground organization or newspaper is one that operates or is produced secretly and opposes the government: Her father was a member of the underground resistance movement in France during World War II.
       ▪ clandestine /klænˈdestən, klænˈdestɪn/ secret and often illegal or immoral: clandestine meetings | his involvement in a clandestine operation to sell arms to Iran | a clandestine love affair
       ▪ hush-hush informal used about information or activities that are kept officially secret: He was put in charge of some hush-hush military project. | I’ve no idea what he does – it’s all very hush-hush.