physical sensations

Meanings

1. 1nounplural

   Feelings that happen in your body, such as pain, heat, cold, pressure, or tingling.

   Grammar: Always plural in this form; for one feeling say 'a physical sensation' or 'a sensation'.

   Patterns

   • physical sensations in a part of the body
   • experience physical sensations
   • describe physical sensations

   After the injection, she felt strange physical sensations in her fingers.

   The illness can cause physical sensations like burning or numbness.

   He described the physical sensations he felt during the panic attack.

2. 2nounplural

   The bodily feelings that form part of an emotional or mental experience.

   Grammar: Used when talking about how emotions show up in the body; often followed by 'of' plus the feeling.

   Patterns

   • physical sensations of something
   • physical sensations associated with something
   • notice physical sensations

   Anxiety often brings physical sensations of tightness in the chest.

   Mindfulness training teaches you to notice physical sensations without judging them.

   She linked her physical sensations of tension to the stress at work.

Common combinations

experience physical sensations

Patients may experience physical sensations that they find hard to explain.

physical sensations in the body

The drug can produce physical sensations in the body, such as warmth.

strange physical sensations

He reported strange physical sensations after the accident.

notice physical sensations

Try to notice physical sensations as you breathe slowly.

describe physical sensations

The doctor asked her to describe the physical sensations she felt.

Synonyms and how they differ

bodily sensations

Very close in meaning, but 'bodily' sounds slightly more medical or formal than 'physical'.

feelings

Broader and usually about emotions; use 'physical sensations' when you mean feelings in the body.

symptoms

Use this for signs of illness that a doctor looks for, not for ordinary feelings like warmth.

Word family

sensation noun

One feeling in the body, or a general feeling of excitement.

sensory adjective

Relating to the senses or to feeling in the body.

sensitive adjective

Easily affected by touch, light, or other physical input.

Commonly confused: physical sensations or sensitive?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “physical sensations”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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