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the state or quality of being sensitive; sensitiveness.
physiology.

the ability of an organism or part of an organism to react to stimuli; irritability.
degree of susceptibility to stimulation.

electricity.

the ability of a radio device to react to incoming signals, expressed as the minimum input signal required to produce a specified output signal with a given noise level.
the input, as voltage, current, or the like, required to produce full deflection in an electric measuring device, expressed as the ratio of the response to the magnitude of the input quant-ty.

contemporary examples

only someone with very deep ethical commitments could have the sensitivity to notice this, and get away with writing about it.
the collector: rebecca solnit on textual pleasure, punk, and more lauren elkin july 1, 2013

they must be accepted with respect, comp-ssion, and sensitivity.
catholic university’s harvey milk ban reflects a church in transition jay michaelson october 2, 2014

he is mostly acting with considerable skill and sensitivity in this ultra dangerous situation.
leave iran to the iranians leslie h. gelb june 20, 2009

and the longer-term solution is this: elect more leaders with a sensitivity to the issues surrounding gender-based -ssault.
it could have been your daughter amy siskind october 29, 2009

even corporations, which should be on their side, started in with the diversity training and sensitivity sessions.
why conservatives forgive s-x scandals michael tomasky october 31, 2011

historical examples

and the study of sensitivity, action, and consciousness is the field of psychology.
the science of human nature william henry pyle

there are several factors that determine the sensitivity of the method.
the atomic fingerprint bernard keisch

this fact may perhaps also serve as additional evidence of the sensitivity of able men.
inquiries into human faculty and its development francis galton

don’t handle crystals with your fingers as this destroys their sensitivity.
the radio amateur’s hand book a. frederick collins

this difference indicates the grade of sensitivity that the weights in the tray are designed to test.
inquiries into human faculty and its development francis galton

noun (pl) -ties
the state or quality of being sensitive
(physiol) the state, condition, or quality of reacting or being sensitive to an external stimulus, drug, allergen, etc
(electronics) the magnitude or time of response of an instrument, circuit, etc, to an input signal, such as a current
(photog) the degree of response of an emulsion to light or other actinic radiation, esp to light of a particular colour, expressed in terms of its speed
n.

1803, from sensitive + -ity. sensitivity training attested by 1954.

sensitivity sen·si·tiv·i·ty (sěn’sĭ-tĭv’ĭ-tē)
n.

the quality or condition of being sensitive.

the capacity of an organ or organism to respond to a stimulus.

the proportion of individuals in a population that will be correctly identified when administered a test designed to detect a particular disease, calculated as the number of true positive results divided by the number of true positive and false negative results.