palpable

Definitions

palp (touch, feel) + -able (able to be) = "touchable." The literal sense slid into a vivid figurative one: when tension or relief is palpable, it is so strong it seems to have physical presence — you can practically feel it in the air.

Why It Means This

Palpable is most powerful in its figurative use. By calling an emotion "touchable," it lends that emotion a physical weight — a palpable silence presses on you, palpable excitement crackles in the air. The word borrows the certainty of touch to say: this feeling is unmistakably, almost bodily, there.

Common Collocations

• 1.palpable tension明显的紧张
• 2.palpable relief明显的安心
• 3.a palpable sense of明显的……感

Example Sentences

• 1.

  The tension in the room was palpable as the results were read out.

• 2.

  There was a palpable sense of relief when the plane finally landed.

• 3.

  The doctor felt a palpable lump just below the skin.

Easily Confused

palpable vs tangible — both mean "able to be touched," but tangible usually describes concrete things and results (tangible evidence, tangible benefits), while palpable leans toward atmospheres and emotions felt in the air (palpable fear, palpable tension). Touchable object → tangible; felt mood → palpable.

Synonym Comparison