sentience

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "sentience" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used when discussing the capacity to have feelings, perceptions, or consciousness, often in the context of animals, humans, or artificial intelligence. Example: "The debate over animal rights often centers around the concept of sentience and whether non-human animals can experience pain and emotions."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Encyclopedias

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

In New York, the entire winter has been filled with weather advisories, along with freezing rain, decreased blood circulation, sleet, swipes right, unused gym memberships, compromised public transportation infrastructure, depression, lassitude, lonely gloves, too much binge-watching, opportunistic slush of a certain sentience and the first 2,000 words of novels in various states of abandonment.

The Guardian - Opinion

Anyone with a degree of political sentience knows that the new kind of "modernisation" has enriched tiny elites – often, plain kleptocrats – everywhere while often dispossessing and disenfranchising many.

The Guardian - Opinion

However, given that each of his constipated monologues essentially involved him repeating the word "idiot" over and over again until his colon gained sentience and strangled him unconscious, it's fair to say that it wasn't exactly an unqualified success.

The Guardian

Now the growing appreciation of whale intelligence and sentience has added an ethical dimension to the issue.

The Economist

With wisdom and sentience Mr Galgut has managed to craft a version of Forster that penetrates his inner life better than any conventional biography ever has".Arctic Summer", which is framed around the men Forster encounters, places his homosexuality front and centre.

The Economist

There is only the balanced rhythm of sentience and emotion, upholding itself amid the changes of material nature.

Encyclopedia Britannica

In Stanisław Lem's Solaris (1961; films 1972 and 2002), the sentience on an alien planet is so metaphysically distant from humanity that it causes its cosmonaut investigators to hallucinate and collapse.

Encyclopedia Britannica

Reflex action at spinal cord level was not then fully understood, and it was argued that the irritability implied sentience, and that sentience suggested that the soul was still present.

Encyclopedia Britannica

Long before recorded history, the soul was understood to be that part of human nature that made life, motion, and sentience possible.

Encyclopedia Britannica

Sci-fi blockbuster (1984) may be about a humanoid robot who has it in for a single human woman, but he's from a future where humans have largely been wiped out by technology of their own creation that gained sentience.

Britannica

The game had been downloaded many quadrillions of times and was on the verge of gaining sentience and colonising a planet.

Independent

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When discussing animal rights or artificial intelligence, use "sentience" to specifically address the capacity for feeling and subjective experience.

Common error

Avoid using "sentience" interchangeably with "intelligence". "Sentience" refers to the capacity to experience feelings and sensations, while intelligence is the ability to acquire and apply knowledge and skills. A creature can be sentient without being highly intelligent, and vice versa.

Linguistic Context

The primary grammatical function of "sentience" is that of a noun. It denotes a state or quality, specifically the ability to experience feelings and sensations. Ludwig provides examples of its usage in philosophical, ethical, and scientific contexts.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

Science

30%

News & Media

30%

Encyclopedias

20%

Less common in

Formal & Business

10%

Wiki

5%

Reference

5%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "sentience" refers to the capacity to experience feelings and sensations, making it a crucial concept in discussions about ethics, animal rights, and artificial intelligence. As Ludwig AI confirms, the term is grammatically correct and sees frequent use across different contexts, including science, news, and encyclopedias. While "sentience" is often linked with consciousness and awareness, it’s important to differentiate it from intelligence. When writing about moral status, subjective experience, or the capabilities of living beings, "sentience" offers a precise and valuable term. Use it accurately to emphasize the capacity for feeling and subjective experience.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

consciousness

Refers to the state of being aware of oneself and one's surroundings, a broader term than "sentience".

awareness

Indicates knowledge or perception of a situation or fact, emphasizing the cognitive aspect.

sensory perception

Focuses on the ability to receive and process information through the senses.

capacity for feeling

Highlights the emotional aspect of "sentience", emphasizing the ability to experience emotions.

ability to perceive

Emphasizes the capability to become aware of something through the senses.

cognitive ability

Highlights the mental processes involved in knowing, understanding, and learning.

sapience

Implies wisdom and the ability to apply knowledge, a higher level of understanding than simple "sentience".

responsiveness

Indicates the ability to react to stimuli or influences, a basic form of awareness.

perceptiveness

Describes the quality of being able to understand people and situations quickly and accurately.

emotional intelligence

Focuses on the ability to understand and manage one's own emotions and the emotions of others.

FAQs

How is "sentience" typically used in a sentence?

"Sentience" is commonly used to discuss the capacity of living beings, including animals and potentially AI, to experience feelings and sensations. For example, "The debate revolves around whether animals possess "sentience" and deserve moral consideration".

What are some alternatives to the word "sentience"?

Depending on the context, you can use alternatives such as "consciousness", "awareness", or "capacity for feeling". Each alternative emphasizes a slightly different aspect of the concept.

Is it correct to say that a rock has "sentience"?

No, it is generally not correct to say that a rock has "sentience". "Sentience" implies the ability to experience feelings and sensations, which is typically attributed to living beings with a nervous system or a comparable structure.

What is the difference between "sentience" and "sapience"?

"Sentience" refers to the capacity to experience feelings and sensations, while "sapience" refers to wisdom or the ability to apply knowledge. A being can be sentient without being sapient, and vice versa, though they are often related.