1
as in sensory
of or relating to physical sensation or the senses
the sensuous pleasure of a massage
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in sensual
pleasing to the physical senses
a gentle, sensuous breeze
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of sensuous
Sometimes referred to as the Pure Land, it’s imagined here as a many-tiered hall, rigorously linear in its design, sensuous in its glowing-ember colors.
—
Holland Cotter, New York Times, 26 Dec. 2024
Influenced by Robert Bresson’s Pickpocket,Schrader takes sensuous pleasure not only in objectifying his male lead, who plays a character that eagerly agrees to his own objectification, but also in the surfaces of his environment.
—Vikram Murthi, Vulture, 21 Jan. 2025
Spicy and sensuous, the woody spicy scent features notes of incense and black pepper.
—Celia Shatzman, Forbes, 19 Dec. 2024
Such would-be scientific treatises in fact functioned more like manifestos, and decisively influenced Eliot and Ezra Pound’s generation to favor a poetics of the objective sensuous image over one of the dramatic declamatory mood.
—Benjamin Kunkel, The New Yorker, 9 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for sensuous
Holland Cotter, New York Times, 26 Dec. 2024
Influenced by Robert Bresson’s Pickpocket,Schrader takes sensuous pleasure not only in objectifying his male lead, who plays a character that eagerly agrees to his own objectification, but also in the surfaces of his environment.
—Vikram Murthi, Vulture, 21 Jan. 2025
Spicy and sensuous, the woody spicy scent features notes of incense and black pepper.
—Celia Shatzman, Forbes, 19 Dec. 2024
Such would-be scientific treatises in fact functioned more like manifestos, and decisively influenced Eliot and Ezra Pound’s generation to favor a poetics of the objective sensuous image over one of the dramatic declamatory mood.
—Benjamin Kunkel, The New Yorker, 9 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for sensuous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sensuous
Adjective
-
Deprived of the sensory experience of seeing illness unfold or watching treatment fail, families struggled to make urgent decisions and to come to terms with medicine’s limited ability to reverse COVID’s many devastations.—
Sunita Puri,
The Atlantic,
18 Mar. 2025
-
It's well understood that spiders have poor eyesight and thus sense the vibrations in their webs whenever prey (like a fly) gets caught; the web serves as an extension of their sensory system.—
Jennifer Ouellette,
Ars Technica,
18 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
McBryde in particular seemed to enjoy exercising her acting chops on the song’s sensual antagonism.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
20 Mar. 2025
-
From plush Tuscan shearling and fluffy furs to structured tweeds and supple leathers, Yves Salomon paints a rich sensual experience that elevates its minimal, androgynous silhouettes.—
Angela Lei,
Forbes,
19 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
The use of non-traditional sound as an immersive, sensorial element derived from the tactile manner in which both of his subjects relate to it as deaf individuals.—
Carlos Aguilar,
IndieWire,
8 Mar. 2025
-
Beyond sensorial gratification, facial steaming's skin-care benefits are actually quite bountiful.—
Jennifer Hussein,
Allure,
28 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sensuous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sensuous. Accessed 24 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share