sensibility
noun
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The meanings of sensibility run the gamut from mere sensation to excessive sentimentality. In between is a capacity for delicate appreciation, a sense often pluralized. In Jane Austen's books, sensibility is mostly an admirable quality she attributes to, or finds lacking in, her characters: "He had ... a sensibility to what was amiable and lovely" (of Mr. Elliot in Persuasion). In Sense and Sensibility, however, Austen starts out by ascribing to Marianne sensibleness, on the one hand, but an "excess of sensibility" on the other: "Her sorrows, her joys, could have no moderation ... she was everything but prudent."
Examples of sensibility in a Sentence
Garret K. Woodward, Rolling Stone, 26 Apr. 2024
The application was later allowed to return, providing its content moderation was in line with Bangladesh’s cultural sensibilities.
—Anna Gordon, TIME, 25 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for sensibility 
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sensibility.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near sensibility
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“Sensibility.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sensibility. Accessed 3 May. 2024.
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sensibility
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