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definitions

tangible

[tan-juh-buhl]
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR tangible ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

capable of being touched; discernible by the touch; material or substantial.
real or actual, rather than imaginary or visionary: the tangible benefits of sunshine.
definite; not vague or elusive: no tangible grounds for suspicion.
(of an asset) having actual physical existence, as real estate or chattels, and therefore capable of being assigned a value in monetary terms.

noun

something tangible, especially a tangible asset.

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RELATED WORDS

physicality, incarnation, embodiment, objectiveness, tactility, manifestation, solidity, materiality, palpability, distinction, definiteness, corporeality

Origin of tangible

1580–90; < Late Latin tangibilis, equivalent to Latin tang(ere) to touch + -ibilis -ible
Related formstan·gi·bil·i·ty, tan·gi·ble·ness, nountan·gi·bly, adverbnon·tan·gi·ble, adjectivenon·tan·gi·ble·ness, nounnon·tan·gi·bly, adverbpre·tan·gi·ble, adjectivepre·tan·gi·bly, adverbqua·si-tan·gi·ble, adjectivequa·si-tan·gi·bly, adverbun·tan·gi·ble, adjective

Synonyms for tangible

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR tangible ON THESAURUS.COM
1. palpable, corporeal. 2. certain, genuine, perceptible. 3. specific.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for tangibility

Historical Examples of tangibility

British Dictionary definitions for tangibility

tangible

adjective

capable of being touched or felt; having real substancea tangible object
capable of being clearly grasped by the mind; substantial rather than imaginarytangible evidence
having a physical existence; corporealtangible assets

noun

(often plural) a tangible thing or asset
Derived Formstangibility or tangibleness, nountangibly, adverb

Word Origin for tangible

C16: from Late Latin tangibilis, from Latin tangere to touch
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
Word Origin and History for tangibility

tangible

adj.

1580s, "capable of being touched," from Middle French tangible, from Late Latin tangibilis "that may be touched," from Latin tangere "to touch" (see tangent). Sense of "material" (e.g. tangible reward) is first recorded 1610s; that of "able to be realized or dealt with" is from 1709.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper