Definition of "sensualism" [sen•su•al•ism]

• Excessive devotion to sensual pleasure; sensuality. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "In full reaction from the "sensualism" of Condillac, he restored a due activity to the _ego_; he made it a force not restricted to the reception of sensations, which transform themselves, but one which seized upon, elaborated, linked together, and combined them."
• "The philosophy which follows is that of self-centred materialism and 'sensualism'."
• "A degraded sensualism deprives this life of its grace and refinement; thenext of its dignity and sanctity."