perceive

(pər-sēv')
tr.v., -ceived, -ceiv·ing, -ceives.

1. To become aware of directly through any of the senses, especially sight or hearing.
2. To achieve understanding of; apprehend. See synonyms at see¹.

[Middle English perceiven, from Old French perceivre, from Latin percipere : per-, per- + capere, to seize.]

perceivable per·ceiv'a·ble adj.
perceivably per·ceiv'a·bly adv.
perceiver per·ceiv'er n.

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is widely used somewhat pretentiously in the sense 'consider' or 'regard':

The economic, social, and psychological costs of becoming pregnant and having a child while on public assistance are perceived as clearly outweighing the benefits—A. Bryman, 2004.

Although this use is well established, and is recorded without comment in the COD (2006), it is often an unnecessary Latinate alternative for the perfectly good English word see, which could have been used in the example just given with no loss of meaning or effect. Perceive carries with it a substantial baggage of philosophical and psychological implications from which the simpler word see is free. If see won't do, consider and regard are also nearly always better choices.

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verb

1. To apprehend (images) by use of the eyes: behold, see. Scots ken. See see/not see.
2. To be intuitively aware of: apprehend, feel, intuit, sense. Idioms: feel in one's bones, get vibrations. See knowledge/ignorance.

v

Definition: notice, see
Antonyms: miss, neglect, overlook

v

Definition: understand
Antonyms: misinterpret, misunderstand

IN BRIEF: To become aware of through one of the senses, especially through seeing.

You can only perceive real beauty in a person as they get older. — Anouk Aimee

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For a list of words related to perceive, see:

• Verbs of Sight - perceive: observe so as to understand; become aware of the presence of
• Knowledge and Understanding - perceive: become aware of; gain understanding of

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See words rhyming with "perceiver."

  See crossword solutions for the clue Perceive.

Common misspelling(s) of perceived

• percepted
• percieved

Dansk (Danish)
v. tr. - opfatte, bemærke

Nederlands (Dutch)
gewaarworden, beschouwen, begrijpen

Français (French)
v. tr. - percevoir, s'apercevoir de, comprendre, saisir

Deutsch (German)
v. - wahrnehmen, bemerken

Ελληνική (Greek)
v. - διαισθάνομαι, αντιλαμβάνομαι, διακρίνω, βλέπω, καταλαβαίνω

Italiano (Italian)
scorgere, avvertire, accorgersi di, comprendere, percepire

Português (Portuguese)
v. - perceber, compreender, observar, entender

Русский (Russian)
чувствовать, постигать, наблюдать

Español (Spanish)
v. tr. - percibir, divisar, notar, advertir, darse cuenta de, comprender, captar, entender

Svenska (Swedish)
v. - varsebli, (upp)fatta, märka, förnimma, inse

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
察觉, 意识到, 感知, 理解

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
v. tr. - 察覺, 意識到, 感知, 理解

한국어 (Korean)
v. tr. - 지각하다, 이해하다

日本語 (Japanese)
v. - 知覚する, 気づく, 理解する

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(فعل) يرى, يلاحظ, يدرك‏

עברית (Hebrew)
v. tr. - ‮הבחין, ראה, הרגיש‬

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