sensual

C2+ Topic:Emotions & Feelings

US /ˈsɛnʃuəl/ UK /ˈsɛnsjʊəl/ See IPA manual

adj

Meanings

1

adj
relating to gratification of the senses or physical pleasure

The novel was praised for its rich, sensual descriptions of food.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · relating to gratification... carnal voluptuoussybariticfleshly epicurean hedonistic

Opposites

ascetic spiritual chaste abstemious

Word family

Forms sensualistsensualistssensually

Derived forms sensualitysensualistsensuallysensualize

Related forms sense sensation sensuous sensory

Etymology

From Late Latin sensualis ('endowed with feeling'), from Latin sensus ('feeling, sense'), from sentire ('to feel, perceive').

sensualis Latin sentire Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Emotions & Feelings Word Formation & Derivatives

# sensual

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** ˈsɛnʃuəl
**IPA (UK):** ˈsɛnsjʊəl

## Meanings
1. relating to gratification of the senses or physical pleasure

## Examples
- The novel was praised for its rich, sensual descriptions of food.

## Synonyms
- carnal
- voluptuous
- sybaritic
- fleshly
- epicurean
- hedonistic

## Antonyms
- ascetic
- spiritual
- chaste
- abstemious

## Derived Forms
- sensuality
- sensualist
- sensually
- sensualize

## Related Forms
- sense
- sensation
- sensuous
- sensory

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: sensualis
- Root: sentire

## Etymology
From Late Latin sensualis ('endowed with feeling'), from Latin sensus ('feeling, sense'), from sentire ('to feel, perceive').

## AI Etymology
Sensual comes from Late Latin sensualis ('endowed with feeling'), from Latin sensus ('feeling, sense'), from sentire ('to feel, perceive'). The historical chain includes Latin sensualis and Latin sentire. The quoted older senses, "endowed with feeling", "feeling, sense", and "to feel, perceive", supply the semantic anchors for sensual. The formation is best read as borrowed: the word sensual carries its older form-history into a compact English lexical shape. In present English it is used as a adj, "relating to gratification of the senses or physical pleasure". English derivatives include sensuality, sensualist, sensually, and sensualize; related English forms include sense, sensation, sensuous, and sensory. The result is a adj whose etymology preserves both the older form and the later English specialization.

## Topics
- Emotions & Feelings
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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