adjective · neutral
sensitive
/ˈsensɪtɪv/SEN·si·tive
easily affected by something, or able to understand other people's feelings
Examples
“Be careful; that topic is very sensitive for some people.”
“He has sensitive skin and can't use harsh soap.”
“She's sensitive to criticism but tries to improve.”
Band 8 sentence
“Policy-makers must treat refugee issues as highly sensitive and avoid blanket solutions that ignore individual experiences.”
Collocations
- sensitive issue
- sensitive to criticism
- sensitive skin
Word family
Common mistakes
He is sensible about his feelings→He is sensitive about his feelings
sensitive person→sensitive person / a sensitive issue
Say it for a higher band
5aware→6delicate→7+sensitive
Synonyms
touchy
delicate
Easily confused
sensible
“It's sensible to save some money for emergencies.”
sensitivity
“Her sensitivity to criticism made meetings difficult.”
Related words
Learn this word with the rest of its set, and get reminded at the right time.
In -ive
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