HOW TO USE THE DICTIONARY
To look up an entry in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, use the search window above. For best results, after typing in the word, click on the “Search” button instead of using the “enter” key.
Some compound words (like bus rapid transit, dog whistle, or identity theft) don’t appear on the drop-down list when you type them in the search bar. For best results with compound words, place a quotation mark before the compound word in the search window.
THE USAGE PANEL
The Usage Panel is a group of nearly 200 prominent scholars, creative writers, journalists, diplomats, and others in occupations requiring mastery of language. Annual surveys have gauged the acceptability of particular usages and grammatical constructions.
AMERICAN HERITAGE DICTIONARY APP
The new American Heritage Dictionary app is now available for iOS and Android.
THE AMERICAN HERITAGE DICTIONARY BLOG
The articles in our blog examine new words, revised definitions, interesting images from the fifth edition, discussions of usage, and more.
INTERESTED IN DICTIONARIES?
Check out the Dictionary Society of North America at http://www.dictionarysociety.com
adj. Capable of being perceived by the senses or the mind: perceptible sounds in the night. [Late Latin perceptibilis, from Latin perceptus, past participle of percipere, to perceive; see PERCEIVE.] per·cep′ti·bili·ty n. per·cepti·bly adv. Synonyms: perceptible, palpable, appreciable, noticeable, discernible These adjectives apply to what is capable of being apprehended as being real through the senses or by the mind. Perceptible is the least specific: a perceptible pause in the flow of his speech. Palpable applies both to what is perceptible by means of the sense of touch and to what is readily perceived by the mind: "The advantages Mr. Falkland possessed ... are palpable" (William Godwin). What is appreciable is capable of being estimated or measured: dumping appreciable amounts of waste into the harbor. Noticeable means easily observed: noticeable shadows under your eyes. Discernible means distinguishable, especially by sight or by the intellect: no discernible progress in the contract negotiations. |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
