sapience

noun

sa·​pi·​ence ˈsā-pē-ən(t)s How to pronounce sapience (audio)
ˈsa-

Examples of sapience in a Sentence

the kind of sapience that comes from a lifetime of experience as an educator
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
The myth has left its mark on everything from superhero fantasies to tales of benevolent robots—narratives where artificial or alien life is in communion with human life and arrayed against the ugliest forces that sapience can produce. Katherine Alejandra Cross, WIRED, 7 Sep. 2023 Stories of such yearnings also illustrate a key requirement for sapience: resistance to oppression. Katherine Alejandra Cross, WIRED, 7 Sep. 2023 This seeming truth is said with a kind of sleepy sapience, as though only the naïve or the self-deluded would imagine anything otherwise. Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 27 Nov. 2019

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin sapientia, from sapient-, sapiens, present participle

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of sapience was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near sapience

Cite this Entry

“Sapience.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sapience. Accessed 24 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

sapience

noun
sa·​pi·​ence ˈsā-pē-ən(t)s How to pronounce sapience (audio)
ˈsap-ē-

More from Merriam-Webster on sapience

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!