What does sensed mean?
Sensed is the past tense and past participle of the verb sense. It means that someone became aware of, intuited, or perceived something, often before being able to identify the evidence that prompted the awareness. People commonly say they sensed danger, sensed that something was wrong, or sensed a change in the atmosphere. The word can also describe detecting subtle physical changes, as in sensing movement or a shift in pressure. Its force lies in its suggestion of intuitive perception: the person may know something is present before they can explain why. In some contexts, however, felt, realized, or detected may be preferable because they identify the kind of awareness more precisely. Sensed is an inflected form rather than an independent lexical item, and it is standard in both British and American English.
verb (past tense and past participle)Sensed means became aware of, intuited, or perceived something, especially through subtle observation or feeling.
- Became aware of or intuited something, especially a fact, feeling, possibility, or situation.
- Detected or perceived something through subtle observation or the senses.
"In the stillness of the room, she sensed that something was wrong."
"He sensed the mood of the crowd changing before anyone else did."
"The device sensed movement near the entrance and sent an alert."
Its ancient ancestor, Latin sentire, meant “to perceive or feel,” the root behind sensor, sensation, and sensitive.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does sensed come from?
Sensed was formed by adding the past-tense and past-participle ending -ed to sense. Sense ultimately comes from Latin sensus, meaning “perception” or “understanding,” a participial form of sentire, “to perceive, feel, or sense.” The same Latin root produced related English words including sensory, sensitive, sensor, and sensation.
Related word forms
How sensed is actually used
Sensed is the past-tense and past-participle form of sense. In careful prose, felt, detected, or realized may sound more natural, particularly when describing a person's intuition.
Easily confused with sensed
Sensed means became aware of or intuited something, whereas scented means filled with a pleasant smell.