Word of the Day

: April 22, 2024

palpable

adjective PAL-puh-bul

What It Means

Something described as palpable is obvious and notable. Palpable may also be used as a synonym of tangible to describe something that can be perceived by one's sense of touch.

// The tension in the courtroom was palpable as the jury foreman stood to announce the verdict.

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palpable in Context

"The power of the ancestral people who built Cliff Palace feels palpable as I stand inside the cliff hollow, marvelling at towers and rooms that slot together perfectly." — Linda Barnard, The Toronto Star, 16 Sept. 2023

Did You Know?

If you find it fascinating how English speakers push words with concrete meanings into figurative use, we feel you. By which we mean we understand you, of course, not that we are patting your head or poking you in the shoulder. Palpable, which has since the 14th century described things that can be literally felt through the skin (such as a person’s pulse), has undergone an expansion similar to that of feel over the centuries, and is now more frequently used to describe things that cannot be touched but are still so easy to perceive that it is as though they could be—such as "a palpable tension in the air."