Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Of or relating to sensation.
  • adjective Arousing or intended to arouse strong curiosity, interest, or reaction, especially by exaggerated or lurid details.
  • adjective Outstanding; spectacular.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Of or pertaining to sensation; relating to or implying sensation or perception through the senses.
  • Having sensation; serving to convey sensation; sentient.
  • Intended, as a literary or artistic work, to excite intense emotion; appealing to the love of being moved, as a chief source of interest.
  • Of or pertaining to sensationalism; adhering to philosophical sensationalism.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Of or pertaining to sensation.
  • adjective Of or pertaining to sensationalism, or the doctrine that sensation is the sole origin of knowledge.
  • adjective Suited or intended to excite temporarily great interest or emotion; melodramatic; emotional.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective Of or pertaining to sensation.
  • adjective Piquing or arousing the senses.
  • adjective Provocative.
  • adjective Exceptionally great.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective commanding attention
  • adjective causing intense interest, curiosity, or emotion
  • adjective relating to or concerned in sensation

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

sensation +‎ -al

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Examples

  • House Government Reform Committee chairman Congressman Henry Waxman said the government invented what he calls sensational details and stories.

    CNN Transcript Apr 24, 2007 2007

  • General Petraeus making it very clear that these -- what he calls sensational attacks, the suicide bombs, the suicide car bombs, the spectacular attacks that are killing so many Iraqis are a problem.

    CNN Transcript Apr 26, 2007 2007

  • Rumsfeld argues that history will have a larger perspective than what is the daily attacks, the Web blogs and the what he called sensational reporting.

    CNN Transcript Mar 20, 2006 2006

  • A spokesman for NAM released this statement: "He was so put off by what he called the sensational and simplistic reporting in this important skills gap story last evening that he changed his mind."

    CNN Transcript Nov 23, 2005 2005

  • Archeologists say they have located and excavated the ruins of a massive amphitheater used to train gladiators east of Vienna in what they call a "sensational discovery."

    KansasCity.com: Front Page 2011

  • Archeologists say they have located and excavated the ruins of a massive amphitheater used to train gladiators east of Vienna in what they call a "sensational discovery."

    The Seattle Times 2011

  • VIENNA - Archaeologists say they have located and excavated the ruins of a massive amphitheater used to train gladiators east of Vienna in what they call a "sensational discovery."

    FOXNews.com 2011

  • VIENNA - Archeologists say they have located and excavated the ruins of a massive amphitheater used to train gladiators east of Vienna in what they call a "sensational discovery."

    Yahoo! News: Business - Opinion 2011

  • VIENNA - Archeologists say they have located and excavated the ruins of a massive amphitheater used to train gladiators east of Vienna in what they call a "sensational discovery."

    Yahoo! News: Business - Opinion 2011

  • Archeologists say they have located and excavated the ruins of a massive amphitheater used to train gladiators east of Vienna in what they call a "sensational discovery."

    KansasCity.com: Front Page 2011

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