sensitive: Meaning and Definition of

sen•si•tive

Pronunciation: (sen'si-tiv), [key]
— adj.
  1. endowed with sensation; having perception through the senses.
  2. readily or excessively affected by external agencies or influences.
  3. having acute mental or emotional sensibility; aware of and responsive to the feelings of others.
  4. easily pained, annoyed, etc.
  5. pertaining to or connected with the senses or sensation.
  6. having a low threshold of sensation or feeling.
  7. responding to stimuli, as leaves that move when touched.
  8. highly responsive to certain agents, as photographic plates, films, or paper.
  9. affected or likely to be affected by a specified stimulus (used in combination): price-sensitive markets.
  10. involving work, duties, or information of a highly secret or delicate nature, esp. in government: a sensitive position in the State Department.
  11. requiring tact or caution; delicate; touchy: a sensitive topic.
  12. constructed to indicate, measure, or be affected by small amounts or changes, as a balance or thermometer.
  13. easily affected by external influences, esp. by radio waves.
—n.
  1. a person who is sensitive.
  2. a person with psychic powers; medium.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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