What does perception mean?
Perception is the process through which the mind receives and interprets sensory information, turning sights, sounds, touches, and other experiences into an awareness of the world. The word also denotes a particular attitude or understanding of someone or something: a public may have a favourable perception of a company, or a situation may be distorted by a different perception of its causes. In everyday use, perception often carries the idea that an impression is personal, selective, or potentially mistaken rather than an objective fact. In psychology and philosophy, it has a more technical meaning, concerning how the brain constructs conscious experience from sensory input. Perception is therefore both an active interpretive process and the resulting view or understanding. It is useful in discussions of visual experience, public opinion, attitudes, and the difference between what happens and how it is experienced.
nounThe process of becoming aware of or interpreting sensory information. It can also mean a particular way of understanding or regarding something, especially based on impressions or assumptions.
- The process or result of becoming aware of information received through the senses.
- A particular way of understanding or regarding someone or something.
- An insight or belief formed from impressions, observations, or assumptions rather than definitive knowledge.
- The ability to recognize and interpret what is sensed.
"The new evidence changed our perception of the situation."
"Bright light can affect the perception of colour."
"Despite the testimony, the public perception of the company remained positive."
The plural is used for distinct impressions, views, or ways of understanding, as well as for the psychological processes of perceiving.
"Travellers brought back differing perceptions of the remote island."
Perception is never a raw recording of reality: the brain actively organizes sensation into patterns, meaning and experience.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does perception come from?
Perception comes through Old French perception, ultimately from Latin perceptio, a noun formed from percipere, meaning “to perceive” or “to take in.” The Latin root combines per-, meaning “through” or “fully,” with capere, meaning “to take” or “to seize.” The family developed through English words including perceive, perceptible, and perceptive, while perception became established in English during the late Middle English period and was later used more technically in philosophy and psychology.
Related word forms
How perception is actually used
In general use, perception often suggests a personal or socially shared way of viewing something and may imply that the resulting impression is subjective. In psychology and related fields, it refers more specifically to the process of interpreting sensory information.
Easily confused with perception
Perception is the process of interpreting sensory information, whereas an illusion is a mistaken or distorted experience of reality.
Perception is the act or result of becoming aware of information, while perceptive describes someone who is good at noticing and understanding what others miss.