WordGarden.iosensory
B2Pronunciation
UK
- /sˈɛnsərˌi/
US
- /ˈsɛnsəri/
Meanings
Adjective
relating to the senses or physical sensation
Beyond the definition
Imagine biting into a ripe strawberry: the sweetness on your tongue, the bright red color, and the soft scent in the air. All of that is sensory information. The word "sensory" describes anything connected to the senses, especially sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch. It is part of how we take in the world around us. A sensory experience can be pleasant, like a warm bath or beautiful music, or unpleasant, like a harsh noise or a strong odor.
Think about describing a scene in a story. You would not just say, "It was a forest." Instead, you might use sensory details: "The air was filled with the scent of pine needles, sunlight fell through the leaves, and birdsong filled the quiet woods." That is using sensory language to bring the scene to life. In psychology, sensory processing refers to how the brain receives and interprets these signals.
"Sensory" is an adjective that relates to the senses or to the way the body receives information from them. It often refers to sight (visual), sound (auditory), smell (olfactory), taste (gustatory), and touch (tactile). It can describe something noticed through these senses or something designed to stimulate them.
The word comes from the Latin sensus, meaning "perception" or "feeling." It names a basic part of how we understand and interact with our surroundings. A sensory experience is not only about having a sensation; it is also about the brain making sense of that information. For example, feeling heat is a sensory input, while recognizing it as dangerous is the brain processing that input.
The term "sensory" appears in many contexts. In cooking, chefs think about sensory experiences through flavor, texture, smell, and appearance. In marketing, companies use sensory branding by appealing to sight, sound, smell, and sometimes touch to create strong impressions.
It is also important in fields like psychology, health, and education. Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) is a condition in which the brain has difficulty handling information that comes through the senses. Sensory play, such as playing with sand, water, or clay, supports child development by helping children explore and learn about the world.
So, whether you are describing a meal, explaining how the brain works, or creating a vivid scene in writing, "sensory" refers to things connected to perception through the senses. It is a word for the part of experience that is seen, heard, smelled, tasted, or felt.
Examples
- 1
Descriptive writing
Good writing uses sensory details to make a scene feel real.
- 2
Museum experience
The museum was designed as a sensory experience, with music, scents, and things visitors could touch.
- 3
Too much input
After an hour in the noisy arcade, she started to feel sensory overload.
- Phrasesensory overload
a feeling that there is too much noise, light, or other input at once
- 4
Sensitive children
Some children are very sensitive to sensory input such as bright lights or scratchy clothes.
More examplesFewer examples
- 5
Classroom support
The therapist suggested a quieter classroom for students with sensory issues.
- Phrasesensory issues
problems with how someone reacts to sound, light, touch, and similar things
See also
Forms and spellings
1 form open this card.
Main spelling
- sensoryadjective