palpable

Adjective
US[pal-puh-buhl]/ˈpælpəbəl/3 syllables

Open English WordNet

Adjective (4)

  1. capable of being perceived; especially capable of being handled or touched or felt“a barely palpable dust”“felt sudden anger in a palpable wave”“the air was warm and close — palpable as cotton”“a palpable lie”Synonyms: tangibleOpposite impalpableSee also perceptible
  2. (medicine) can be felt by palpation“a palpable tumor”Opposite imperceptibleSimilar perceptible
  3. clearly revealed to the mind or the senses or judgment“the effects of the drought are apparent to anyone who sees the parched fields”“evident hostility”“manifest disapproval”“patent advantages”“made his meaning plain”“it is plain that he is no reactionary”“in plain view”“a palpable lie”Synonyms: apparentevidentmanifestpatentplainunmistakableOpposite unobviousSimilar obvious
  4. so intense as to be almost touched or felt“there was a palpable sense of joy in the air”Opposite mildSimilar intense
Word of the day · Sep 29About this word
haphazardadjective

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Webster's Dictionary (1913)

Pal′pa·ble adjective

Origin: F. palpable, L. palpabilis, fr. palpare to feel, stroke; cf. palpus the soft palm of the hand.

1. Capable of being touched and felt; perceptible by the touch; as, a palpable form. William Shakespeare

Darkness must overshadow all his bounds, Palpable darkness.— John Milton

2. Easily perceptible; plain; distinct; obvious; readily perceived and detected; gross; as, palpable imposture; palpable absurdity; palpable errors. “Three persons palpable.” See Piers Plowman.

[Lies] gross as a mountain, open, palpable.— William Shakespeare
A hit, A very palpable hit.— Shak. (Hamlet)

— Pal′wb-a1′>′pa·ble·ness, noun — Pal′wb-a1′>′pa·bly, adverb

Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), from GCIDE 0.54

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