perception

Meanings

1. 1noununcountable

   The process by which your senses notice things and your brain interprets them.

   Grammar: Uncountable; often in compounds like visual perception or depth perception.

   Patterns

   • visual or sensory perception
   • perception of something

   The drug can alter your perception of color and sound.

   The course covers visual perception and memory.

2. 2nouncountable

   A particular way of understanding or judging something; a belief about it.

   Grammar: Countable; common in public perception and a perception that....

   Patterns

   • public perception
   • a perception that
   • a perception of something

   Public perception of the company has improved this year.

   There is a widespread perception that prices only ever go up.

3. 3noununcountable

   The ability to understand people and situations in a sensitive, insightful way.

   Grammar: Uncountable; usually in the phrase a person of perception.

   Patterns

   • a person of perception

   The novel shows remarkable perception about family life.

   She is a manager of rare perception who notices when people are struggling.

Word forms

Common combinations

public perception

The campaign aims to improve public perception of the police.

visual perception

The experiment tests visual perception in low light.

change perception

One big win changed the perception of the whole team.

a perception of something

There's a growing perception of unfairness in the system.

shape perception

News coverage shapes public perception of crime rates.

Synonyms and how they differ

awareness

Means knowledge that something exists; perception includes interpreting and giving meaning to it.

insight

Emphasizes deep, sudden understanding; perception is broader, covering senses as well as judgment.

impression

A quick, often vague idea; a perception is usually a settled way of seeing something.

Word family

perceive verb

To notice or become aware of something through the senses, or to understand it.

perceptive adjective

Quick to notice and understand things; observant and insightful.

perceptible adjective

Noticeable enough to be perceived; the opposite of imperceptible.

perceptively adverb

In a perceptive way, showing sharp understanding.

Commonly confused: perception or perceptive?

Practice

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Write a sentence using “perception”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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