tangible

adjective

I'd prefer a reward more tangible than praise — say, cash

Syn:

touchable, palpable, material, physical, real, substantial, corporeal, solid, concrete; visible, noticeable; actual, definite, clear, clear-cut, distinct, manifest, evident, unmistakable, perceptible, discernible

Ant:

abstract

••

tangible, appreciable, corporeal, palpable, perceptible, sensible

Anything that can be grasped, either with the hand or with the mind, is tangible (tangible assets; tangible objects). Palpable, like tangible, means capable of being touched or felt (a palpable mist), but it is often applied to whatever evokes a tactile response from the body (a palpable chill in the room). Perceptible is used to describe something that just crosses the border between invisibility and visibility or some other sense barrier (a perceptible change in her tone of voice; a perceptible odor of garlic). Sensible (in this sense) means that which can clearly be perceived through the senses or which makes a strong impression on the mind through the medium of sensations. In contrast to perceptible, something that is sensible is more obvious or immediately recognized (a sensible shift in the tenor of the conversation). Corporeal means bodily or material, in contrast to things that are immaterial or spiritual (corporeal goods). Something that is appreciable is large enough to be measured, valued, estimated, or considered significant. An appreciable change in temperature, for example, can be determined by looking at a thermometer; a palpable change in temperature may be slight, but still great enough to be felt; and a perceptible change in temperature might be so slight that it almost — but not quite — escapes notice.