noun · academic
sensitivity
UK/ˌsensɪˈtɪvəti/US/ˌsɛnsɪˈtɪvəti/se·nsi·TIV·i·ty
the ability of a test to correctly identify true positives; responsiveness to stimuli
Examples
“The diagnostic kit's sensitivity was 92%, so few cases were missed.”
“A sensitivity analysis showed results were unchanged when parameters varied slightly.”
“Increasing sensitivity often reduces specificity, so there's a trade-off.”
Band 8 sentence
“Despite its high specificity, the screening programme's low sensitivity meant a worrying number of cases were missed.”
Collocations
- high sensitivity
- sensitivity analysis
- test sensitivity
Word family
Common mistakes
high sensitive→high sensitivity
many sensitivities→high sensitivity / the test is highly sensitive
Say it for a higher band
5accuracy→6detection rate→7+sensitivity
Synonyms
detectability
Easily confused
specificity
“The test's specificity was excellent, but its sensitivity was disappointingly low.”
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In Science & Research
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