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

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

Etymology

Origin of tangible

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

Example Sentences

Then there are the less tangible benefits of having global reach.

From The Wall Street Journal

His younger sister, Stella Morrow, 13, still feels awkward about grieving what is still tangible but out of reach.

From Los Angeles Times

Ellie did not get any scan pictures, so said she has no tangible record of her miscarriages.

From BBC

And that’s assuming that the hereafter is any kind of tangible location at all.

From Salon

Hayden Hashimoto, an attorney at Clean Air Task Force, meanwhile said "the public health and economic benefits of the current standard are tangible."

From Barron's