tangible

[ tan-juh-buhl ]

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.

noun

1. something tangible, especially a tangible asset.

tangible

/ 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

noun

1. often plural a tangible thing or asset

Derived Forms

• ˌtangiˈbility, noun
• ˈtangibly, adverb

Other Words From

• tangi·bili·ty tangi·ble·ness noun
• tangi·bly adverb
• non·tangi·ble adjective
• non·tangi·ble·ness noun
• non·tangi·bly adverb
• pre·tangi·ble adjective
• pre·tangi·bly adverb
• quasi-tangi·ble adjective
• quasi-tangi·bly adverb
• un·tangi·ble adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of tangible¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of tangible¹

C16: from Late Latin tangibilis, from Latin tangere to touch

Example Sentences

Most of our listeners, including this guy, would love to know what needs to be done in the most granular, tangible sense.

From Slate

White doesn’t keep a lawyer on retainer, but she knows lawyers who are “willing to glance at something I’ve received in my email inbox and reach out to offer support should one of those threats escalate into something more tangible” — which hasn’t yet happened.

From Los Angeles Times

Betty represents tangible reality while Norma embodies seductive illusion in a musical that dramatizes the unfair fight between them for Joe’s jaded soul.

From Los Angeles Times

They told me that my trips to Trump Tower are a reasonable and positive response to extreme danger and stress because, unlike others, I am making Trump and Trumpism into something tangible so I can manage my feelings and do my work properly.

From Salon

For them, the idea of liberty pointed to the tangible abolition of slavery and racial hierarchy; reform represented the persistent human action required to achieve liberty through moral, social and political processes; and progression suggests a practical commitment to the possibility of effecting positive political change and acknowledges the potential for future improvement to be contingent rather than inevitable.

From Salon