Sensational — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

adjective /sen-ˈsā-sh(ə-)nəl/ sen·sa·tion·al

Meaning & Definition of Sensational

Sensational (adjective)

  1. of or relating to sensation or the senses
  2. arousing or tending to arouse (as by lurid details) a quick, intense, and usually superficial interest, curiosity, or emotional reaction
  3. exceedingly or unexpectedly excellent or great

Sensational (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. arousing a strong and usually superficial interest or emotional reaction

    "the sensational news story caused a stir, but after a few days everyone forgot about it"

    similar: catchpenny, gee-whiz, lurid, screaming, sensationalist, sensationalistic
    related: catchy, colorful, juicy, racy, suggestive, dramatic, histrionic, melodramatic, theatrical, coarse, vulgar, gory, shocking
    opposite: nonsensational
    near: innocuous, inoffensive, tame, dignified, formal, proper, restrained

  2. of or relating to physical sensation or the senses

    "sensational hallucinations"

    similar: sensitive, sensorial, sensory, sensuous
    related: afferent, receptive, sensate, sensual
    near: extrasensory, intuitional

  3. of the very best kind

    "this ice cream is sensational"

    similar: A-OK, A1, awesome, bang-up, banner, beautiful, blue-chip, blue-ribbon, boffo, bonny (chiefly British), boss (slang), brag, brave, bully, bumper, capital, choice, classic, cool (slang), corking, crackerjack, cracking, dandy, divine, dope (slang), down (slang), dynamite, excellent, fab, fabulous, famous, fantabulous (slang), fantastic, fine, first-class, first-rate, first-string, five-star, four-star, frontline, gangbusters, gilt-edged, gone (slang), grand, great, groovy, heavenly, high-class, hot, hype (slang), immense, jim-dandy, keen, lovely, marvelous, mean, neat, nifty, noble, number one, numero uno, out-of-sight (slang), par excellence, peachy, peachy keen, phat (slang), prime, primo (slang), prize, prizewinning, quality, radical (slang), righteous (slang), slick, splendid, stellar, sterling, superb, superior, superlative, supernal, swell, terrific, tip-top, top, top-notch, top-of-the-line, top-shelf, topflight, topping (chiefly British), unsurpassed, wizard (chiefly British), wonderful, out of this world, too much
    related: acceptable, adequate, all right, decent, good, OK, passable, satisfactory, tolerable, better, exceptional, fancy, high-grade, high-test, premium, select, special, superfine, classical, standard, traditional
    opposite: atrocious, awful, execrable, lousy, pathetic, poor, rotten, terrible, vile, wretched
    near: bad, inferior, low-grade, substandard, unsatisfactory, mediocre, middling, second-class, second-rate

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Sensational

The most common words with a similar meaning to Sensational:

Slang: boss, cool, dope, down, fantabulous, gone, hype, out-of-sight, phat, primo, radical, righteous
Chiefly British: bonny, topping, wizard
catchpenny, gee-whiz, lurid, screaming, sensationalist, sensationalistic, sensitive, sensorial, sensory, sensuous, A-OK, A1, awesome, bang-up, banner, beautiful, blue-chip, blue-ribbon, boffo, brag, brave, bully, bumper, capital, choice, classic, corking, crackerjack, cracking, dandy, divine, dynamite, excellent, fab, fabulous, famous, fantastic, fine, first-class, first-rate

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Sensational

Words with the opposite meaning of Sensational:

nonsensational, atrocious, awful, execrable, lousy, pathetic, poor, rotten, terrible, vile, wretched

Related Words for Sensational

catchy, colorful, juicy, racy, suggestive, dramatic, histrionic, melodramatic, theatrical, coarse, vulgar, gory, shocking, afferent, receptive, sensate, sensual, acceptable, adequate, all right, decent, good, OK, passable, satisfactory, tolerable, better, exceptional, fancy, high-grade

Near Antonyms of Sensational

innocuous, inoffensive, tame, dignified, formal, proper, restrained, extrasensory, intuitional, bad, inferior, low-grade, substandard, unsatisfactory, mediocre, middling, second-class, second-rate

Word Forms of Sensational

Derived words: sensationally (adverb)

Origin & Etymology of Sensational

First known use: 1807

Frequently Asked Questions about Sensational

What does "Sensational" mean?

"Sensational" means of or relating to sensation or the senses. As an adjective, it is defined as: of or relating to sensation or the senses. It has 3 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Sensational"?

Other words for "Sensational" include catchpenny, gee-whiz, lurid, screaming, sensationalist, sensationalistic, sensitive and sensorial. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Sensational" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Sensational"?

There are 143 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Sensational". Common alternatives include catchpenny, gee-whiz, lurid, screaming, sensationalist, sensationalistic, sensitive, sensorial, sensory and sensuous.

What is a slang word for "Sensational"?

Slang words for "Sensational" include boss, cool, dope, down, fantabulous and gone.

What is the opposite of "Sensational"?

Antonyms of "Sensational" include nonsensational, atrocious, awful, execrable, lousy, pathetic, poor and rotten. Near antonyms include innocuous, inoffensive, tame and dignified.

How do you use "Sensational" in a sentence?

Examples of "Sensational" in a sentence: "the sensational news story caused a stir, but after a few days everyone forgot about it"; "sensational hallucinations"; "this ice cream is sensational".

Is "Sensational" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Sensational" is an adjective.

How do you pronounce "Sensational"?

"Sensational" is pronounced /sen-ˈsā-sh(ə-)nəl/ and divided into syllables as sen·sa·tion·al.