Perceive

Meaning

Perceive means to notice, recognize, or understand something through the senses, the mind, or one's awareness.

Pronunciation

/pəˈsiːv/

Word Forms

• Base form: perceive
• Past tense: perceived
• Past participle: perceived
• Present participle: perceiving
• Noun: perception
• Adjective: perceptive
• Adverb: perceptively

Synonyms

Antonyms

Common Collocations

• perceive something as something — to understand or regard something in a particular way.
• perceive a difference — to notice or recognize a difference.
• perceive a threat — to recognize something as potentially dangerous.
• perceive reality — to understand or interpret reality in a particular way.
• be perceived as — to be regarded or understood in a particular way by others.
• perceive the world — to experience and interpret the world through one's senses and mind.

Example Sentences

• She perceived a change in his attitude immediately.
• Children often perceive the world differently from adults.
• He was perceived as a confident and capable leader.
• She could perceive the faint sound of music in the distance.
• The situation was not as dangerous as he had initially perceived it to be.

Literary Example

Example:

“If I can perceive her regard for him, he must be a simpleton, indeed, not to discover it too.”

— Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice

Here, perceive means to notice or become aware of something. Charlotte is saying that if she can recognize Jane's feelings toward Bingley, then Bingley should be able to recognize them as well. :contentReference[oaicite:1]{index=1}

Story Workshop

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