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

Mostly, though, the film is oblique commentary on the kinds of issues the columnists are always writing about—a perceived loss of societal trust, demonization of out-groups, and increased geographical sorting by ideology.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026

It would center the woman, not just her baby, and recognize the perceived benefit she is weighing against the risks.

From Slate ● Aug. 27, 2026

"But a No vote could also be perceived as a loss."

From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026

There were reasons for the way she perceived things, words for the sensory experiences that set her apart from peers.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026

He thought they were glow-worms or fireflies, but, on closer inspection, he perceived they were tiny people, flickering and flitting from branch to branch.

From "Stardust" by Neil Gaiman

Related Words

• anticipated
• recognized