sensitivity
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
the ability to understand other people's feelings and be kind to them.
the capacity for empathy and awareness regarding the feelings or needs of others.
Simple“The manager showed great sensitivity when he spoke to the employee about her family problems.”
In context“The diplomat handled the delicate negotiations with remarkable sensitivity, ensuring that neither party felt disrespected during the transition.”
SynonymsAntonymsinsensitivityindifference - 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
the quality of being easily affected or hurt by things like light, heat, or certain foods.
the state of being physically responsive to external stimuli, often resulting in discomfort or a specific biological reaction.
Simple“She has a strong sensitivity to sunlight and always wears a hat outside.”
In context“Patients with a known sensitivity to penicillin must be monitored closely for adverse reactions during the initial phase of treatment.”
SynonymsAntonyms - 03 C1 Advanced
how well a piece of equipment or a test can detect small changes or signals.
the degree to which a measuring instrument or sensor responds to changes in input signals.
Simple“The microphone has high sensitivity, so it can pick up even very quiet sounds.”
In context“The laboratory upgraded its equipment to increase the sensitivity of the detection process, allowing for the identification of trace elements in the water supply.”
- 04 C1 Advanced
the ability of a test to correctly identify people who have a specific condition.
the probability that a binary classification test will correctly identify a true positive.
Simple“The new virus test has 99% sensitivity, meaning it rarely misses a positive case.”
In context“While the screening tool demonstrated high sensitivity in clinical trials, its low specificity resulted in a significant number of false positives among the general population.”
Synonymstrue positive rateAntonyms - 05 B1 Intermediate
how fast your character moves on the screen when you move your mouse or controller.
the ratio of in-game camera or cursor movement relative to the physical movement of an input device.
Simple“I had to lower my mouse sensitivity because the camera was moving too fast.”
In context“Professional gamers often spend hours fine-tuning their controller sensitivity to find the perfect balance between speed and aiming precision.”
Synonyms
From sensitive + -ity.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.