sensitive
1 ENTRIES FOUND:
Britannica Dictionary definition of SENSITIVE
[more sensitive; most sensitive]
1
a
:
easily upset by the things that people think or say about you
— often + about
—
opposite insensitive
-
a moody, sensitive teenager
-
He acts like a tough guy, but he's really very sensitive to criticism.
-
She's painfully/overly sensitive about her looks. [=she cares very/too much about what people say or think about her looks]
-
a sensitive soul [=a person who is easily hurt emotionally]
b
:
likely to cause people to become upset
-
sensitive [=touchy] topics/issues
-
a politically sensitive decision
2
a
:
aware of and understanding the feelings of other people
— often + to
—
opposite insensitive
-
I found him to be a sensitive and caring person.
-
She was sensitive to the fears of her patients.
b
:
having an understanding of something
:
aware of something
— + to
-
We are sensitive to the need to act quickly in this situation.
3
:
easily affected by something in a way that is not pleasant or good
:
reacting to something in, on, or around you in a bad way
— often + to
-
She is sensitive to pollen (in the air).
-
My teeth are sensitive to cold foods.
-
I am sensitive to wheat. [=I become ill when I eat wheat]
-
Now that I'm older, I'm more sensitive to (the) cold. [=I feel colder in cold surroundings now than I did in the past]
4
:
able to express thoughts and feelings through writing, music, dance, etc.
-
a sensitive poet/artist
-
an exquisitely sensitive dance performance
5
technical
a
:
able to sense very small changes in something
-
a highly sensitive device/instrument
-
sensitive scales
b
:
changing in response to something
-
light-sensitive film = film that is sensitive to light
6
:
needing to be handled in a careful or secret way in order to protect someone or something
-
highly sensitive information [=information that could be harmful if many people knew it; information that should be kept secret]
-
sensitive financial data
— sensitively
adverb-
The problem was handled sensitively.
