tangible

American  

[tan-juh-buhl] / ˈtæn dʒə bəl /

adjective

1. 

   capable of being touched; discernible by the touch; material or substantial.

   Synonyms:

   corporeal, palpable

2. real or actual, rather than imaginary or visionary.

   the tangible benefits of sunshine.

   Synonyms:

   perceptible, genuine, certain

3. definite; not vague or elusive.

   no tangible grounds for suspicion.

   Synonyms:

   specific

4. (of an asset) having actual physical existence, as real estate or chattels, and therefore capable of being assigned a value in monetary terms.

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noun

1. something tangible, especially a tangible asset.

tangible British  

/ ˈtændʒəbəl /

adjective

1. capable of being touched or felt; having real substance

   a tangible object

2. capable of being clearly grasped by the mind; substantial rather than imaginary

   tangible evidence

3. having a physical existence; corporeal

   tangible assets

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noun

1. (often plural) a tangible thing or asset

Other Word Forms

• nontangibleness
  noun
• tangibility
  noun
• tangibleness
  noun
• nontangible
  adjective
• pretangible
  adjective
• quasi-tangible
  adjective
• untangible
  adjective
• nontangibly
  adverb
• pretangibly
  adverb
• quasi-tangibly
  adverb
• tangibly
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of tangible

First recorded in 1580–90; from Late Latin tangibilis, from Latin tang(ere) “to touch” + -ibilis -ible; cf. tangent ( def. )

Explanation

When you can touch something, it's tangible: "I need tangible proof that aliens exist — I want to shake their little green hands!" Tangible is from Latin tangere, "to touch," and it simply means something that can be touched or felt, though it can be used in metaphorical senses: tangible assets have a value that can be precisely measured, and tangible grief can be clearly sensed by an onlooker. So you might not need to physically touch something for it to be tangible, but it has to be grounded in the real world of facts.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

tangible

"These numbers are huge, and frankly ridiculous," she said, saying reduced outlays could free up cash for generating tangible profits from investments already made.

From Barron's ● Sep. 14, 2026

But the mood has shifted from the euphoria that felt tangible when the Nasdaq was notching back-to-back records early this summer.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026

While another Test awaits in the United States, the sense of an unofficial series being on the line was tangible.

From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2026

We know this trial may have “raised awareness” about postpartum mental health, but has not actually changed any tangible aspect of support for women struggling with it.

From Slate ● Sep. 5, 2026

If, in order to simplify our problem, we concentrate on the visual arts, we might say that a work of art must be a tangible thing shaped by human hands.

From "History of Art, Volume 1" by H.W. Janson