# sensitivity

Pronunciation: US say "sen-suh-TIV-uh-tee" /ˌsɛn.səˈtɪv.ə.ti/; UK say "sen-si-TIV-i-tee" /ˌsɛn.sɪˈtɪv.ɪ.ti/

## Noun

1. The quality or state of being sensitive: readily affected by, or responsive to, feelings, impressions, and subtle differences.
   - Simple: Being quick to notice or feel things, or to care about other people's feelings.
   - _The negotiator handled the dispute with a sensitivity that calmed both sides._
   - _His sensitivity to other people's moods made him a thoughtful host._
2. The ability of an organism or organ to respond to outside stimuli such as light, heat, sound, or touch.
   - Simple: The ability of a living thing to notice and react to things around it.
   - _The retina's sensitivity to dim light allows vision in near darkness._
   - _Researchers measured the insect's sensitivity to small changes in temperature._
3. The degree to which a disease-causing organism or tissue can be affected or destroyed by a particular medical treatment; susceptibility.
   - Simple: How easily a germ or illness can be killed or stopped by a medicine.
   - _Lab results showed the strain's sensitivity to penicillin had declined._
   - _Oncologists assess each tumor's sensitivity to chemotherapy before treatment._
4. The degree to which an instrument responds to a change in an input signal.
   - Simple: How strongly a device reacts to small changes in what it measures.
   - _Engineers increased the sensor's sensitivity to detect faint vibrations._
   - _The receiver's sensitivity determines the weakest signal it can pick up._
5. In a binary classification test, the probability that a true positive is correctly identified.
   - Simple: In a test, how well it finds the people who truly have a condition.
   - _A diagnostic test's sensitivity tells you how many true cases it catches._
   - _Researchers reported the assay's sensitivity at ninety-five percent._
6. The degree to which photographic film responds to light of a particular wavelength.
   - Simple: How strongly camera film reacts to light.
   - _The film's sensitivity to red light made it ideal for sunset photography._
   - _Photographers chose a stock with greater sensitivity for the dim interior._

## Origin

Formed from the adjective "sensitive" combined with the suffix "-ity."

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/sensitivity (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).