Sentido

Sentido is a versatile noun in Spanish and Portuguese that covers a range of related concepts centered on perception, interpretation, direction, and purpose. It derives from Latin sensus, from the verb sentire “to feel,” and over time has accumulated several closely linked meanings.

In everyday use, sentido can refer to sensory perception (los sentidos). It also denotes direction or orientation, as in hablar de “el sentido de la marcha” or “sentido norte,” and in traffic signage where “sentido único” indicates a one-way direction. It also expresses meaning or interpretation: “el sentido de una frase” or “el sentido de un texto,” where it contrasts with significado, the literal or denotative meaning. The phrase “sentido figurado” contrasts with “sentido literal.” Practical or pragmatic uses include “sentido común” (common sense) and “sentido práctico.”

Sentido also encompasses intention or purpose, such as when someone acts “con un sentido” de finalidad. In philosophy and linguistics, the expression sentido y referencia describes the distinction between the sense of a term (its cognitive content) and its reference (the object it stands for), a framework widely discussed in the Spanish-speaking literature on semantics.

In Portuguese, as in Spanish, sentido retains these varied uses, with some region-specific nuances. Phrases such as “sentido de humor,” “sentido de la vida,” or “hacer sentido” appear across contexts, illustrating the word’s flexibility in describing perception, interpretation, orientation, and intention.