Showing results for "perceived"

• past tense form of perceive.
• past participle of perceive.

perceived

American  

[per-seevd] / pərˈsivd /

adjective

1. taken in by the senses; heard, seen, felt, etc..

   Spontaneous memories are activated by specific signals from the parts of the brain that deal with perceived stimuli like smells, pictures, and words.

2. detected, discerned, or recognized, often without corroboration by others.

   He fails to appreciate that the perceived "backlash" against his post was not an expression of reluctance to accept change, just disagreement with his specific proposal.

---

verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of perceive.

Other Word Forms

• perceivedness
  noun
• unperceived
  adjective
• well-perceived
  adjective
• perceivedly
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of perceived

perceive ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

Explanation

If you sense something is true by instinct, but not necessarily by fact, you can describe that sense as perceived. If you suspect that your neighbor's dog might be dangerous, you can say the dog is a perceived threat to your family's safety. The adjective perceived has its Latin roots in per, meaning "thoroughly," and capere, meaning "to grasp." Today it retains a sense of grasping something mentally or sensing it. Oddly, the word has two conflicting meanings: first, something you infer or suspect, rather than detecting with your senses. The second meaning, however, is quite the opposite: something sensed through your actual senses, especially those of sight or hearing.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

perceived

Others labelled the perceived lack of justice a "disgrace" and said they felt ashamed of the prestigious university, which has defended its handling of the case.

From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026

Student success: Payne wants college to do more to offer “immediate perceived value,” including teaching résumé building, interview skills and how to apply to jobs.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

In extreme situations, Chin said, it helps to think objectively about the difference between real risk and perceived risk.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026

She said she and her daughter got into a habit of texting to schedule a call, which “created some perceived hurdles to keeping in touch.”

From Salon ● Sep. 30, 2026

At that moment Odysseus perceived Athena just beyond the door beckoning to him.

From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton

Related Words

• anticipated
• recognized