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Synonyms

perception

American  
[per-sep-shuhn] / pərˈsɛp ʃən /

noun

  1. the act or faculty of perceiving, or apprehending by means of the senses or of the mind; cognition; understanding.

    Synonyms:
    recognition, sense, awareness
  2. immediate or intuitive recognition or appreciation, as of moral, psychological, or aesthetic qualities; insight; intuition; discernment.

    an artist of rare perception.

  3. the result or product of perceiving, as distinguished from the act of perceiving; percept.

  4. Psychology. a single unified awareness derived from sensory processes while a stimulus is present.

  5. Law. the taking into possession of rents, crops, profits, etc.


perception British  
/ pəˈsɛpʃən /

noun

  1. the act or the effect of perceiving

  2. insight or intuition gained by perceiving

  3. the ability or capacity to perceive

  4. way of perceiving; awareness or consciousness; view

    advertising affects the customer's perception of a product

  5. the process by which an organism detects and interprets information from the external world by means of the sensory receptors

  6. law the collection, receipt, or taking into possession of rents, crops, etc

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • nonperception noun
  • nonperceptional adjective
  • perceptional adjective
  • reperception noun
  • self-perception noun
  • unperceptional adjective

Etymology

Origin of perception

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English percepcioun, from Old French percepcïon, from Latin perceptiōn-, stem of perceptiō “comprehension,” literally, “a taking in”; percept, -ion

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

There is a perception that IBM’s mainframe business could be threatened by AI.

From Barron's

"My intuition is this will have a lasting impact… because of the safety perception you have in your mind," says Johannes Thomas, chief executive of the travel specialist Trivago.

From BBC

"The government and NHS leaders should pay particular attention to figuring out what could improve younger people's perceptions of the service given this is now a longstanding trend."

From BBC

“The uncertainty of the visa process really hurt us, and also the general perception that the U.S. may be less welcoming,” said Joshua McKeown, the university’s director of international education.

From The Wall Street Journal

But the public perception of crime has notably changed.

From The Wall Street Journal