tangible

The word “tangible” means able to be touched or physically felt. In plain terms, something you can physically touch, or more broadly, something concrete and clearly real rather than abstract.

“Tangible” is pronounced TAN-jih-bl (/ˈtæn.d͡ʒə.bəl/ in IPA).

Here is “tangible” used in a sentence: “The sculpture gave the abstract idea a tangible form.”

The opposite of “tangible” — its antonyms — is intangible.

“Tangible” is an adjective.

The word “tangible” comes from Late Latin. From Latin tangere ("to touch"), via Late Latin tangibilis and Middle French tangible.

“Tangible” is an uncommon word in modern English.

“Tangible” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: able to be touched or physically felt.

Tangible describes something able to be touched or physically felt, such as a tangible object, while intangible refers to something that cannot be physically touched, like an idea, feeling, or reputation. The two words are direct opposites used to contrast physical and non-physical things or benefits.

Tangible evidence or results means they are real and definite enough to be clearly recognized, rather than vague or theoretical. Saying a project produced tangible results implies the outcomes are concrete and verifiable, not just abstract claims.

Tangible and concrete overlap closely when describing something real and definite rather than vague, though tangible more strongly emphasizes the physical, touchable quality of an object, while concrete is often used for facts, plans, or evidence that are specific and clearly defined even if not physical.