senziente

sentient

adjective sen-TSYEN-teh Rare

Origin: Latin sentientem, present participle of sentire (to feel)

Also means

feeling

Usage Note

Senziente is used in philosophical and scientific contexts to describe a being capable of subjective experience and sensation. The debate about esseri senzienti (sentient beings) is central to ethics and animal rights discourse in Italian. It does not simply mean 'intelligent' — it specifically implies the capacity to feel.

Examples

"Gli animali sono esseri senzienti."

Natural Translation

Animals are sentient beings.

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