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tangibly

C2
Uncommon

Pronunciation

UK

  • /tˈændʒəbli/

US

  • /ˈtændʒəbli/

Meanings

Adverb

  1. in a concrete or noticeable way, with real practical effect

  2. so as to be touchable or physically felt

Beyond the definition

If something happens tangibly, it can be felt, seen, or clearly noticed in real life. It is no longer just an idea, a hope, or a guess. Imagine hoping for a promotion and then finally holding the official letter in your hand. At that moment, the change is real in a direct and clear way.

The word is connected to the idea of touch, so it can describe something physical. But in everyday English, it is also often used for results, changes, or effects that are easy to notice. You might say a policy tangibly improved people's daily lives, or that support from a friend tangibly helped someone through a hard week. In both cases, the point is the same: the effect is real and clear, not vague.

Examples

  1. 1

    Room temperature

    The room felt tangibly warmer once the heater was on.

  2. 2

    Office mood

    After the manager spoke, the mood in the office became tangibly calmer.

  3. 3

    Online orders

    The new system made online orders tangibly faster.

  4. 4

    Language learning

    Her pronunciation improved tangibly after a few months of daily practice.

More examples
  1. 5

    Charity impact

    The charity wants to show donors how their support tangibly changes local schools.

  2. 6

    Peace prospects

    With the ceasefire in place, a lasting peace suddenly seemed tangibly closer.

    • Phraseseemed tangibly closer

      felt more likely to happen soon

See also

Similar

Shades of meaning

Contrast

Used with (collocations)

  • tangibly improve
  • tangibly different
  • tangibly present

Word family

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Forms and spellings

1 form open this card.

Main spelling

  • tangiblyadverb