Meaning & use
sensory experience
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountable or uncountable
What a person feels through the senses of sight, hearing, touch, taste or smell.
Grammar: Both forms are used: a sensory experience; sensory experience in general.
Patterns
- a sensory experience of something
The market was a rich sensory experience, full of smells and colors.
Babies learn about the world through sensory experience.
The museum offers a sensory experience for visitors with limited sight.
Word forms
| plural | sensory experiences |
|---|
Common combinations
- rich sensory experience
- The festival was a rich sensory experience.
- rely on sensory experience
- Children rely on sensory experience to learn.
- immersive sensory experience
- The exhibit offers an immersive sensory experience.
- sensory experience of food
- The sensory experience of food includes smell and texture.
- overwhelming sensory experience
- The crowded fair was an overwhelming sensory experience.
Synonyms and how they differ
- sensation
- A sensation is a single feeling, while a sensory experience may combine several senses over time.
- perception
- Perception is how the brain interprets what the senses detect, while sensory experience is what is felt.
- feeling
- Feeling is broader and includes emotions as well as physical senses.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: sensory experience or sensual?
sensory experience vs sensual
Sensual usually suggests physical or sexual pleasure, while sensory is neutral and about the senses in general.
Practice
Which phrase best describes a sensory experience?
Choose one answer.
Sensory experience comes through the senses such as smell and hearing. The other options are mental activities.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “sensory experience”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.