palpable
adjective
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Feel Out the Definition of Palpable
If you find it fascinating how English speakers push words with concrete meanings into figurative use, we feel you. By which we mean we understand you, of course, not that we are patting your head or poking you in the shoulder. Palpable, which has since the 14th century described things that can be literally felt through the skin (such as a person’s pulse), has undergone an expansion similar to that of feel over the centuries, and is now more frequently used to describe things that cannot be touched but are still so easy to perceive that it is as though they could be—such as "a palpable tension in the air."
Examples of palpable in a Sentence
Simon Kallal et al., New England Journal of Medicine, 7 Feb. 2008
There's a palpable feeling of community here: owner Lee McLemore stocks the store with a surprisingly large wine selection, police chief Andy Williams moonlights in the prepared-foods section and barbecues in the parking lot, and George Watkins personally fills the shelves with his superb tupelo honey.
—Todd Coleman, Saveur, October 2006
When I'm back in nature after months of walking around on concrete and living in boxes, I feel a palpable internal shift.
—Al Gore, An Inconvenient Truth, 2006
I felt a palpable sense of relief.
The attraction between them was palpable.
There was a palpable excitement in the air as the town prepared for the festival.
Barry M. Bloom, Sportico.com, 14 July 2025
The joy emanating from the largely millennial devotees was palpable, from the white clothing blanketing the stands to the breathless commentary throughout the concert.
—Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 13 July 2025
As each nation scrambles to adjust their numbers—and perhaps offer concessions or deeper market access—the urgency is palpable.
—Mayu Saini, Sourcing Journal, 8 July 2025
That film succeeds largely because of its deft presentation of the story’s inherent human drama: Moses and his adoptive brother, Rameses, joke and banter, and when Moses returns from decades in exile, the joy of reuniting and anxiety over how their relationship has changed are palpable.
—Chris Deville, The Atlantic, 6 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for palpable
Cite this Entry
“Palpable.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/palpable. Accessed 19 Jul. 2025.
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palpable
adjective
Medical Definition
palpable
adjective
The Journal of the American Medical Association 
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