What does 'sensible' mean in English? It doesn't seem to mean what I expected.

What it means: Reasonable, practical, showing good judgement. "A sensible decision" = a practical, well-thought-out decision. "She's very sensible" = she has good sense, she makes good decisions.

• French: "sensible" = sensitive
• Spanish: "sensible" = sensitive
• Italian: "sensibile" = sensitive

This causes a common error: saying someone is "very sensible" when you mean they're emotionally sensitive or caring.

Wrong: "He's very sensible - he cried at the film." (Native speakers will be confused)
Right: "He's very sensitive - he cried at the film."

• Sensible = practical, reasonable, has good judgement
• Sensitive = emotionally aware, easily affected, caring, or touchy

• "Wearing a coat is sensible in this weather."
• "That's the most sensible solution."
• "She made a very sensible choice."

Register: Neutral. Works in all contexts, formal and informal.

Tags: false friends, vocabulary, mistakes, intermediate English, adjectives