What does tangibleness mean?
Tangibleness is the quality of being tangible: real, concrete, perceptible, or capable of being understood through practical experience. The word is particularly useful when discussing the relationship between an abstract idea and the physical or observable world. For example, a legal principle may gain tangibleness when it is translated into specific duties, procedures, or consequences. In ordinary usage, tangibleness usually carries a slightly elevated or philosophical tone, appearing in discussion of reality, perception, theory, policy, or practical action. Although its meaning is close to tangibility, tangibleness often emphasizes the quality or degree of being tangible rather than the condition itself. It is also more distinctly associated with making abstractions concrete, giving the word a somewhat distinctive rhetorical character.
nounThe quality of being tangible, especially of being real, concrete, or capable of being perceived or understood. It may also refer to the degree to which an idea or abstraction can be treated as something real or practically applicable.
- The quality of being tangible: real, concrete, perceptible, or capable of being grasped or demonstrated.
- The degree to which an abstract idea, principle, or concept can be treated as practically real or applicable.
"The policy gave the abstract principle a welcome degree of tangibleness by assigning it specific responsibilities."
"The exhibition gave visitors a greater sense of the tangibleness of the ancient objects."
"The agreement was designed to give the shared commitment some practical tangibleness."
The plural is possible but rare; this noun is usually used in the singular.
"The essays explored different forms of tangibleness in modern law."
Tangibleness turns an abstract idea into something that can be touched, tested, or put into practice.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does tangibleness come from?
The word was formed in English by adding the suffix -ness to tangible. Tangible ultimately comes through Latin tangibilis, meaning “touchable” or “perceptible,” from tangere, “to touch.” The same Latin root also underlies related words such as tangency, while the English derivatives tangibility and tangibly reflect the same established base.
Related word forms
How tangibleness is actually used
A relatively uncommon and abstract noun, used especially in philosophical, legal, and analytical writing. It is more often encountered in elaborate prose than in everyday conversation.
Easily confused with tangibleness
Tangibleness emphasizes the quality of being tangible, whereas tangibility is often used as the corresponding condition or state and is common in technical and philosophical writing.