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Haptic felt its way into English in the 19th century as a back-formation of haptics, a noun which was borrowed from the New Latin hapticē (meaning "science of touch," and derived ultimately from the Greek haptesthai, meaning "to touch") in the 1700s. Haptic was originally a medical synonym for tactile. By the 20th century, it had developed a psychological sense, describing individuals whose perception supposedly depended primarily on touch rather than sight. Although almost no one today divides humans into haptic and visual personalities, English retains the broadened psychological sense of haptic as well as the older "tactile" sense.
Examples of haptic in a Sentence
Todd Anderson, New York Times, 5 Apr. 2025
Currently, when in silent mode, the Apple Watch delivers notifications and alarms through haptic vibrations.
—Jibin Joseph, PCMAG, 25 Mar. 2025
There’s an in-display ultra-sonic fingerprint scanner, stereo speakers, and excellent haptic engine.
—Ben Sin, Forbes, 19 Mar. 2025
Interesting! Ford also intends to make use of haptic feedback to replicate the physical sense of shifting gears, to further enhance your experience.
—New Atlas, 2 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for haptic
Cite this Entry
“Haptic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/haptic. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.
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