perceptual

American  

[per-sep-choo-uhl] / pərˈsɛp tʃu əl /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or involving perception.

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perceptual British  

/ pəˈsɛptjʊəl /

adjective

1. of or relating to perception

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Other Word Forms

• interperceptual
  adjective
• interperceptually
  adverb
• nonperceptual
  adjective
• perceptually
  adverb
• unperceptual
  adjective
• unperceptually
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of perceptual

1875–80; percept + -ual, on the model of concept, conceptual

Explanation

Something that you experience through your senses is perceptual. You'll have perceptual problems in school if you accidentally wear your sunglasses instead of your reading glasses. The adjective perceptual is all about perceiving, or sensing things. It's your perceptual ability that allows you to make sense of the world around you by seeing and hearing. In science, the various sensory systems (such as visual and auditory abilities) are known as perceptual systems. The Latin root is percipere, which means "gather or seize" and also "grasp with the mind."

Example Sentences

By firmly defining these perceptual features, the researchers supply a crucial missing component that helps fulfill Schrödinger's original goal of creating a self-contained model.

From Science Daily • Feb. 23, 2026

Since the 1950s, key figures launched important genres, including hard-edge abstract painter John McLaughlin, harbinger of Light and Space perceptual art, and assemblage master Wallace Berman.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 1, 2025

“One thing that happens in infancy is this process of perceptual narrowing, where babies in some ways have broader perceptual abilities than adults.”

From Salon • May 7, 2025

But perceptual experience has been a through-line in the region’s contemporary art history, so it’s good to see a festival exhibition focused on Southern California.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 29, 2024

Musical timbre is one of the most critical of all components of music, yet remains one of the most mysterious of all human perceptual attributes.

From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin