Meaning & use

imperceptibly

adverb·Advanced

In a way that is so slight or gradual it cannot be noticed or detected.

See it in a sentence

The tide crept in imperceptibly until the entire beach was suddenly underwater.

Her mood shifted imperceptibly over the course of the long, tense meeting.

A note on using this word

Imperceptibly describes change too gradual or slight for the senses to detect at any single moment, though the overall effect becomes clear later.

Words with a similar meaning

subtlyinvisibly

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Words with an opposite meaning

noticeablyobviously

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