sensitive meaning
sensitive :
easily affected, responsive
adjective
▪ She has sensitive skin.
▪ Her skin is easily affected.
▪ He is sensitive to criticism.
▪ He is easily affected by criticism.
paraphrasing
▪ delicate – easily affected
▪ touchy – easily upset
▪ responsive – reacts quickly
▪ perceptive – quick to notice
Pronunciation
sensitive [ˈsɛn.sɪ.tɪv]
The stress is on 'sen' and sounds like 'sen-si-tiv'.
Common phrases and grammar about sensitive
sensitive - Common meaning
adjective
easily affected, responsive
Part of Speech Changes for "sensitive"
▪ sensitivity (noun) – the quality of being easily affected
▪ sensitively (adverb) – in a way that shows sensitivity
▪ sensitize (verb) – to make sensitive
▪ insensitivity (noun) – lack of sensitivity
Common Expressions with "sensitive"
▪ sensitive to light – easily affected by light
▪ sensitive information – important and private information
▪ emotionally sensitive – easily affected by emotions
▪ sensitive topic – a subject that needs careful handling
Important examples of sensitive in TOEIC
Vocabulary examples from the TOEIC test
In TOEIC vocabulary questions, sensitive often describes people or things that react easily to changes.
Example of a confusing word: sensible (practical)
Grammar examples from the TOEIC test
As an adjective, sensitive is often used to describe a person’s feelings or reactions in TOEIC grammar questions.
sensitive
Idioms and fixed expressions in TOEIC
sensitive issue
'a delicate matter', used when discussing topics that need careful handling.
walk on eggshells
means 'to be very careful not to upset someone'.
Differences between similar words and sensitive
sensitive
,
delicate
differences
Sensitive refers to being easily affected, while delicate often refers to being fragile or easily broken.
sensitive
,
touchy
differences
Sensitive describes someone who is easily affected by feelings, while touchy describes someone who gets upset easily.
Words with the same origin as sensitive
The origin of sensitive
sensitive comes from the Latin 'sensitivus', which means capable of feeling or perceiving.
Word structure
It has the root sens (to feel) and suffix itive (adjective), so sensitive means 'capable of feeling'.
Words with the same origin
The root of sensitive is sens (to feel). Words with the same root include sense (to perceive), sensation (a feeling), and sensory (related to the senses).
