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.

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verb

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

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

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

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

Tininiska Rivera, his daughter, told AFP last week that the shocking images released by the government proved "that they don't care how they're perceived abroad, but rather about demonstrating their strength inside Nicaragua."

From Barron's • Jun. 8, 2026

The series also taps into wider conversations about age-gap relationships and the way they are perceived.

From BBC • Jun. 5, 2026

That perceived scarcity is behind much of the demand for SpaceX shares, according to Mark Vena, CEO and analyst at the research firm SmartTech Research.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 5, 2026

While Turek is not a conservative in the same way Galán-Woods was, he was running as the perceived moderate against a progressive opponent, state Sen. Zach Wahls.

From Salon • Jun. 5, 2026

Somehow infect me with the weakness I perceived in her?

From "Jacob Have I Loved" by Katherine Paterson

Related Words

• anticipated
• recognized