sensual

English

Alternative forms

• sensuall (obsolete)

Etymology

From Late Latin sensualis (“endowed with feeling, sensual”), from Latin sensus (“feeling, sense”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈsɛnsjuːəl/, /ˈsɛnʃuːəl/

  • Audio (Southern England):

    (file)

• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈsɛn.ʃu.əl/

Adjective

sensual (comparative more sensual, superlative most sensual)

1. Inducing pleasurable or erotic sensations.

   That massage was a very sensual experience!

2. Of or pertaining to the physical senses; sensory.

   Plato believed that this sensual world in which we live is inferior to the heavenly realm.

3. Provoking or exciting a strong response in the senses.

Derived terms

• asensual
• con-sensual
• hypersensual
• multisensual
• nonsensual
• pretersensual
• sensualise, sensualize
• sensualism
• sensualist
• sensualistic
• sensuality
• sensualization
• sensually
• sensualness
• sensual play
• supersensual
• suprasensual
• transsensual
• ultrasensual
• unisensual
• unsensual

 

Related terms

• sense
• sensible
• sensuous

Category English terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *sent- (feel) not found

Translations

inducing pleasurable or erotic sensations

• Bulgarian: чувствен (bg) (čuvstven), сладострастен (bg) (sladostrasten)
• Catalan: sensual (ca)
• Czech: smyslný (cs)
• Danish: sensuel
• Finnish: sensuelli (fi), aistillinen (fi)
• Galician: sensual
• German: sinnlich (de), lustvoll (de)
• Indonesian: sensual (id)
• Italian: sensuale (it)
• Japanese: 官能的 (かんのうてき, kannōteki)
• Maori: oni
• Romanian: senzual (ro)
• Scottish Gaelic: feòlmhor, collaidh
• Serbo-Croatian: sȅnzūalan (sh), pȕten (sh), čȗlan (sh)
• Spanish: sensual (es)
• Swedish: sensuell (sv), vällustig (sv)
• Turkish: sensüel
• Vietnamese: xác thịt (vi), nhục dục (vi)
• Welsh: cnawdol (cy)

related to senses

• Czech: smyslový (cs)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• French: ^{(please verify)} sensuel (fr), voluptueux (fr)

Further reading

• “sensual”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “sensual”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
• “sensual”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

Anagrams

• unseals

Catalan

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin sēnsuālis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central, Balearic) [sən.suˈal]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia) [sen.suˈal]
• Rhymes: -al

Adjective

sensual m or f (masculine and feminine plural sensuals)

1. sensual

Related terms

• sensualitat

Further reading

• “sensual” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.

Portuguese

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Late Latin sēnsuālis, from Latin sēnsus.

Pronunciation

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /sẽ.suˈaw/ [sẽ.sʊˈaʊ̯], (faster pronunciation) /sẽˈswaw/ [sẽˈswaʊ̯]

 

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /sẽˈswal/ [sẽˈswaɫ]

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /sẽˈswal/ [sẽˈswaɫ]
  • (Southern Portugal) IPA^(key): /sẽˈswa.li/

• Rhymes: (Portugal) -al, (Brazil) -aw
• Homophone: censual
• Hyphenation: sen‧su‧al

Adjective

sensual m or f (plural sensuais, comparable, comparative mais sensual, superlative o mais sensual or sensualíssimo)

1. sexually attractive; sexy

Derived terms

• sensualmente

Related terms

• sensualidade

Spanish

Etymology

From Latin sēnsuālis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /senˈswal/ [sẽnˈswal]
• Rhymes: -al
• Syllabification: sen‧sual

Adjective

sensual m or f (masculine and feminine plural sensuales)

1. sensual

Derived terms

• sensualismo
• sensualista
• sensualmente

 

Related terms

• sensualidad

 

Further reading

• “sensual”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.7, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2023 November 28