What does extrasensory mean?
"Extrasensory" is an adjective describing perception or awareness that operates independently of the recognized physical senses of sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell. It arises almost exclusively in discussions of phenomena such as telepathy, clairvoyance, and precognition, most famously in the phrase "extrasensory perception," abbreviated ESP. The word entered English in the early twentieth century, coined within the emerging field of parapsychology to give a clinical-sounding name to abilities long associated with folklore and spiritualism. In modern usage it spans serious scientific literature, where researchers test whether such abilities exist at all, and popular culture, where characters with extrasensory gifts appear frequently in fiction and film. Because mainstream science has not verified extrasensory abilities, the term often carries an implication of the speculative or unproven. Writers typically pair it with nouns like "perception," "powers," or "awareness," making "extrasensory" a precise and evocative way to describe claims of knowledge gained through channels other than the senses.
adjectiveRelating to or involving perception that occurs independently of the known physical senses, such as telepathy or clairvoyance.
- Relating to perception outside or beyond the ordinary physical senses, as in telepathy or clairvoyance.
"She claimed an extrasensory awareness of her twin's emotions, sensing distress before any message arrived."
"The experiment tested whether participants could identify hidden images using extrasensory means."
"In the novel, the detective solves cases through a seemingly extrasensory intuition for detail."
The term "extrasensory perception" was coined in the 1930s by Duke University psychologist J. B. Rhine, who turned a parlor curiosity into a subject of laboratory study.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of extrasensory
Extrasensory was formed in English in the early twentieth century from the prefix "extra-" (from Latin, meaning "beyond") combined with "sensory," itself derived from Latin "sensus," meaning sense or feeling, from "sentire," to perceive. It became widely established through the phrase "extrasensory perception," popularized by American psychologist Joseph Banks Rhine in the 1930s during his parapsychology experiments at Duke University. The word shares its Latin root with related terms such as "sense," "sensation," and "sensor."
How extrasensory is actually used
The word appears most often in the fixed phrase "extrasensory perception" (ESP), and is common in discussions of parapsychology, popular science fiction, and journalism. It carries no strong register — acceptable in formal writing about parapsychology research — but because ESP lacks scientific confirmation, the word often signals skepticism or speculation depending on context.
Easily confused with extrasensory
"Sensory" refers to perception through the ordinary five senses, whereas "extrasensory" refers to perception claimed to occur beyond them.