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Glite Dictionary
extrasensory perception

extrasensory perception

1 8.7
A supposed ability to know things without using the normal senses
  • noun
  • /ˌɛkstrəˈsɛnʃəˌri pərˈsɛpʃən/
translation icon : percepción extrasensorial
  • She'd never had much interest in extrasensory perception and strange mental powers.
  • a kind of extrasensory perception

I don't like that word because I think it is not encompassing of what it is to have extrasensory perception.

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Examples

  • You're here, Theo... ...because of your remarkable powers of extrasensory perception.

    The Haunting (1963)

  • Scientists have conducted various experiments to test the validity of extrasensory perception, but results have been inconclusive.

  • So he just had an extrasensory perception ability for that.

  • Some kind of extrasensory perception.

    Fiction book (1996)

  • Because I'm interested in extrasensory perception, ESP.

    On a Clear Day You Can See Forever (1970)

  • They possess extrasensory perception.

    Abbott and Costello Go to Mars (1953)

  • Marc, I know as a psychiatrist I could have my couch taken away from me for this, but you don't think by any chance this could be a case of extrasensory perception, ESP?

    On a Clear Day You Can See Forever (1970)

  • Many people claim to have experienced extrasensory perception during moments of intense intuition.

  • The phenomenon of extrasensory perception is often discussed in relation to psychic abilities and intuition.

Synonyms

sixth sense
vsextrasensory perception
17 7.6

A natural feeling that tells you things without using sight, hearing, touch, smell, or taste

focuses more on perceiving external information beyond the ordinary senses
ESP
vsextrasensory perception
14 8.8

The claimed ability to know things without using the five usual senses

is the full phrase rather than the abbreviated form
clairvoyance
vsextrasensory perception
5 9.8

A claimed ability to know about people, places, or events without using the usual senses

is the general ability to perceive information or events by other means
second sight
vsextrasensory perception
  • Literature
3 9.9

To see or know things before they happen

covers any perception beyond normal senses, not only future or prophetic visions
E.S.P.
vsextrasensory perception
9.9

A claimed ability to know things without using the normal senses

is the full phrase rather than the punctuated abbreviation

How Paranormal

extrasensory perception
1 8.7
telepathy
33 8.7

Surface Forms

extrasensory perception singular
extrasensory perceptions plural

Morphology

extrasensory + perception

Both constituents directly contribute to the overall meaning: 'extrasensory' specifies that the perception is beyond normal senses and 'perception' denotes awareness, so combined they transparently mean "perception by means other than the known senses." The compositional pattern is straightforward and common across languages (e.g., Spanish 'percepción extrasensorial'), so a B1 learner who knows the parts would readily infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

Extrasensory perception comes from its parts: extra (beyond), sensory (the senses like sight or hearing) and perception (the act of noticing or knowing). So it describes the idea of 'knowing or sensing something without using the usual senses'.