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Perception

per-SEP-shun /pərˈsɛpʃən/

nounB2SATTOEFLIELTS

formalgeneral

The ability to see, hear, or become aware of something through the senses; the way in which something is regarded, understood, or interpreted.

Involves not just sensing stimuli, but actively interpreting and making sense of them, often influenced by prior experience.

The story behind the word. The word 'perception' comes from the Latin 'perceptionem,' meaning 'a perceiving, comprehension, or apprehension.' This is derived from 'percipere,' meaning 'to grasp, seize, or understand.' The 'per-' prefix means 'through' or 'thoroughly,' and 'capere' means 'to take' or 'grasp.' So, to perceive is to 'thoroughly grasp' something, either with the senses or the mind. It entered English in the 14th century.

Word relationships

awareness: Similar, but 'perception' implies active interpretation of sensory data.
understanding: More focused on cognitive grasp; 'perception' is often sensory-based.
impression: An 'impression' is a more subjective, often initial, feeling or idea.

ignorance: Lack of knowledge or awareness.
insensitivity: Lack of ability to perceive or feel.

Commonly confused with

sensation: Sensation is the raw data received by sensory organs (e.g., light waves hitting the retina), while perception is the brain's interpretation and organization of that raw data into meaningful information (e.g., seeing a face).

Word family

perceive (verb): To become aware or conscious of (something); come to realize or understand.
perceptive (adjective): Having or showing sensitive insight.

Collocations

sensory perception
visual perception
public perception
alter perception
depth perception

Idioms & expressions

perception is reality

Example sentences

"Our perception of color can be influenced by the surrounding light conditions." Psychology experiment
"The company worked hard to change public perception of its brand after the scandal." Public relations

Memory hook

PERCEPTION is how you 'PER-fectly CAPTURE' the meaning of what you sense. Perfectly capture senses

When not to use

While 'perception' can refer to an opinion, its primary neurological meaning is about sensory interpretation.

Fun facts

Optical illusions often highlight how our brains actively construct perception rather than passively receiving sensory input.
Cross-modal perception occurs when stimulation of one sensory modality evokes a perception in another, as seen in synesthesia.