Difference Between Since and Sense (With Table)

The term ‘since’ as a preposition is defined as the intervening period between the time mentioned and the present time. As an adverb, it means the period between then and now. And lastly, as a conjunction, it means from a time in the past until the time under consideration. For example- “I haven’t spoken to my brother since last year.”

The term ‘sense’ as a noun is defined as a faculty by which the body perceives an external stimulus; one of the faculties of sight, smell, hearing, taste, and touch. And, as a verb, it is defined as perceiving or detecting by a tool of sense or senses. For example- “I can sense the change in her behavior lately.”

Comparison Table Between Since and Sense

What is Since?

‘Since’ is an English word which is associated with something that happed in past and is continuing until the time under consideration. In simple words, since is a word associated with time. According to the oxford dictionary, the term ‘since’ can be used in the following ways-

1. As a preposition– since is the intervening period between the time mentioned and the present time. For example “she hasn’t visited the office since last week.”
2. As an adverb– it means the period between then and now. For example- “He left the city on Monday and I haven’t seen him since then.”
3. As a conjunction– it means from a time in the past until the time under consideration. For example- “I have felt the air breathable since I left New Delhi.”

The term ‘since was originated around the 12th century from five middle English words ‘sithens’, ‘sithence’, ‘syns’, ‘sinners’, and ‘sithen’. And, old English words ‘ sīþ’, and ‘sīþþan’. All of these terms have a common meaning that is the intervening period between the time under consideration and the time mentioned, typically from the past.

The synonyms of the word since are because, as long as, as, etc. And, The antonyms of the word since are nevertheless, notwithstanding, however, etc.

What is Sense?

‘Sense’ is another English word that means a faculty by which the body perceives an external stimulus; one of the faculties of sight, smell, hearing, taste, and touch. According to the oxford dictionary, ‘sense’ can be used in the following manners-

1. As a noun–  A capacity by which the body perceives an external stimulus; one of the faculties of sight, smell, hearing, taste, and touch. For example “I can sense the smell of butter chicken from my neighbor’s house.”
2. As a verb– perceiving or detecting by a tool of sense or senses. For example “He can sense his father’s anger rising.”

‘Sense’ is derived from Old French words sens, sen, san, which means sense, reason, direction respectively, partly from Latin sensus, which means sensation, or feeling, from sentio which means perceive, partly from Frankish ‘Sinn’ which means mental faculty, the French word ‘assener’ ‘to thrust out’. And lastly, forcené “maniac” from Proto-Germanic sinnaz which means ‘mind’.

The synonyms of the word sense are feeling, sensation, perception, etc. And, the antonyms of the word ‘sense’ are density, doltishness, dopiness, dullness, denseness, etc.

Main Differences Between Since and Sense

1. The term ‘since’ is defined as the mediating period between the time mentioned and the time under consideration, the present time. As against, The term ‘sense’ is defined as a capacity by which the body perceives an external stimulus; one of the faculties of sight, smell, hearing, taste, and touch.
2. The term ‘since’ can be a preposition, an adverb, or conjunction. On the other hand, The term ‘sense’ is a noun and a verb.
3. The pronunciation of since is- SAMPA: /sIns/, IPA: /sɪns/. While, the pronunciation of sense is- SAMPA: /sEns/, enPR: sĕns, IPA: /sɛns/.
4. The synonyms of the word since are because, as long as, as, etc. And, The synonyms of the word sense are feeling, sensation, perception, etc.
5. The antonyms of the word since are nevertheless, notwithstanding, however, etc. Whereas, The antonyms of the word ‘sense’ are density, doltishness, dopiness, dullness, denseness, etc.
6. The term ‘since’ was originated around the 12th century. On the other hand, The term ‘sense’ was originated in the 15th century.

Conclusion

People often get confused between the word ‘since’ and ‘sense’ as they sound similar, especially by new learners or teenagers. However. Bot these words are completely distinctive. They differ in many instances such as their meaning, origin, parts of speech, and pronunciation.

Although both these terms create similar sound while the conversation in progress, the pronunciation of them still differ with each other that a term which is associated with time shouldn’t be confused by the term associated with sensation.

References

1. https://www.aclweb.org/anthology/H92-1045.pdf
2. http://www.sophia-project.org/uploads/1/3/9/5/13955288/moore_commonsense.pdf
3. https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=DSpGAQAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&dq=+Since+english&ots=KrWYjly_pp&sig=97LDG_1urZTYlyDPB3JtoyTMSVs