Basic Details
Word: Sense
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: One of the natural powers of sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch; also good judgement, or the meaning of a word.
Synonyms: feeling, judgement, meaning, wisdom
Antonyms: nonsense, foolishness
How to Spell Sense
Syllables: sense
Tricky part: Sense has an s at the start and another s before the final e. That last sound is spelt -se, not -ce, so sence is wrong.
Watch out for: sence, sennse
Memory tip: Look at the pattern: s-e-n-s-e. The same two letters, s and e, come twice with an n between them.
Idioms and Phrases
- make sense: to be clear and easy to understand Example: "The instructions only made sense after Didi drew a diagram."
- come to your senses: to start thinking clearly and sensibly again Example: "He finally came to his senses and apologised to his friend."
Usage Examples
Example 1: Dogs have a much keener sense of smell than people.
Example 2: Wearing a helmet on a scooter is just common sense.
Example 3: In what sense is the word cool used in this poem?
Fun Fact
Many animals have senses that humans do not. Sharks, for example, can detect the weak electric signals given off by the muscles of fish hiding in the sand.
Practise the CREST Way
Spell-o-Spell
Only one of these words is spelt correctly. Choose its meaning:
1. consience 2. concious 3. nusance 4. sense
a) awake and aware of what is around you
b) a natural power such as sight or hearing
c) a person or thing that is annoying
d) the inner feeling of right and wrong
Show answer
b) a natural power such as sight or hearing. Conscience and conscious need sc, and nuisance has ui, so sense is the correct one.
Mingle-Mangle
Unjumble the letters in the sentence to form a meaningful word:
Carrying an umbrella in July just makes good ssene in Mumbai.
a) sense
b) sneeze
c) essence
d) scene
Show answer
a) sense. Five letters with two s's, two e's and an n give sense; scene has a c instead of the second s.
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word sense as used in the sentence:
Saving part of your pocket money each week shows real sense.
a) pride
b) wisdom
c) luck
d) foolishness
Show answer
b) wisdom. Good sense here is good judgement, which is wisdom.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which of these is one of the five senses?
a) courage
b) speed
c) memory
d) hearing
Show answer
d) hearing
2. In which sentence does sense mean meaning?
a) Dogs have a far keener sense of smell than cats.
b) She had the sense to call for help at once.
c) The word has more than one sense in the dictionary.
d) There is no sense in shouting at the umpire.
Show answer
c) The word has more than one sense in the dictionary.
