sensation
B2Formal, informal (context-dependent). Common in news, media, psychology, and everyday description.
Definition
Meaning
A physical feeling or perception resulting from something that happens to or comes into contact with the body; a widespread reaction of interest and excitement.
A state of great public interest and excitement; a person, object, or event that causes such excitement. In neurology/psychology, the process by which sensory receptors and the nervous system receive and represent stimuli from the environment.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
The word bridges concrete, physical experience (touch, pain) and abstract, social/emotional impact (excitement, fame). Can be countable ('a strange sensation') or uncountable ('caused a lot of sensation').
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Minimal. Usage is nearly identical. Spelling is the same. Minor potential difference in media hyperbole frequency.
Connotations
Identical connotations in both varieties.
Frequency
Equally common and used in the same contexts in both BrE and AmE.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
[sensation] of [noun] (a sensation of falling)[verb] a sensation (cause/create a sensation)[adjective] sensation (overnight sensation)Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “Overnight sensation (suddenly famous person/thing)”
- “Cause a sensation (create great excitement)”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Rare. Could describe a product launch that creates massive public excitement.
Academic
Common in psychology, neuroscience, and philosophy to denote raw sensory input prior to interpretation (perception).
Everyday
Very common to describe physical feelings (e.g., pain, dizziness) or to talk about something/somevery famous and talked-about.
Technical
Precise term in medical contexts (loss of sensation, altered sensation) and sensory science.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- No standard verb form. Use 'sense' or 'feel'. The verb 'sensate' is extremely rare/technical.
American English
- No standard verb form. Use 'sense' or 'feel'. The verb 'sensate' is extremely rare/technical.
adverb
British English
- sensationalising (BrE spelling) (present participle)
- sensationalised (adjective)
American English
- sensationalizing (AmE spelling) (present participle)
- sensationalized (adjective)
adjective
British English
- sensational (causing great excitement)
- sensational (relating to sensation - technical)
American English
- sensational (causing great excitement)
- sensational (relating to sensation - technical)
Examples
By CEFR Level
- I had a funny sensation in my stomach.
- The new toy was a big sensation.
- She felt a burning sensation on her skin.
- The young singer became an overnight sensation.
- The accident caused a temporary loss of sensation in his fingers.
- The controversial art exhibition caused a real sensation in the media.
- Patients often report a phantom limb sensation after amputation.
- The novel's publication was a literary sensation, dominating critical discussion for months.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Imagine a SENsor sending a SATION (like 'station') alert. Your SENSes create a SENSATION.
Conceptual Metaphor
EXCITEMENT IS A PHYSICAL FORCE/SENSATION ('The news sent a wave of sensation through the crowd').
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Do not confuse with 'sensation' as in premonition/hunch (Russian: предчувствие). English 'sensation' is either physical feeling or public excitement.
- Russian 'сенсация' maps closely to the 'public excitement' meaning, but English 'sensation' also has the primary physical meaning.
- Avoid calquing 'make a sensation' from 'произвести сенсацию'. Use 'cause a sensation' or 'create a sensation'.
Common Mistakes
- Incorrect: 'I have a sensation that he will be late.' (Use 'feeling' or 'hunch'). Correct: 'I have a strange sensation in my leg.'
- Incorrect plural for the 'excitement' meaning: 'The news caused sensations.' (Usually uncountable here: 'caused a sensation' or 'caused sensation').
Practice
Quiz
In which context is the word 'sensation' LEAST appropriate?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
'Sensation' often refers to a more immediate, physical, or raw perceptual experience (touch, temperature, pain). 'Feeling' is broader and includes emotions ('a feeling of joy') and can be more subjective. They often overlap.
No, 'sensation' is only a noun. The related verb is 'sense' or 'feel'. The adjective is 'sensational'.
Usually yes, it describes someone or something that becomes very famous very quickly. It can sometimes carry a hint that the fame may not last or was unexpected.
Sensation is the bottom-up process of detecting physical stimuli via sensory receptors. Perception is the top-down process of organising and interpreting those sensations, giving them meaning.
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