PERCEIVES Synonyms: 112 Similar and Opposite Words

perceives

verb

Definition of perceives next

present tense third-person singular of perceive

as in senses

to have a vague awareness of I thought I perceived a problem, but I wasn't sure

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

as in notices

to make note of (something) through the use of one's eyes perceived that it was going to be a nice day

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in understands

to have a clear idea of I perceive your point, but I still disagree

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of perceives Ilyich perceives that his family regards his suffering only as an inconvenience to them. —

Nicholas Dawidoff, New Yorker, 10 May 2026 The nervous system perceives and processes both stress and pain. —

Danielle Wilhour, The Conversation, 5 May 2026 The survey aimed to capture how the fanbase perceives the club and its interest in a rebrand, and wasn’t limited to just the crest. —

Braidon Nourse, Denver Post, 7 Apr. 2026 The Prince of Wales is said to be more involved in controlling the way the public perceives the monarchy. —

Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 31 Mar. 2026 When the brain perceives threat or stress, a small structure called the amygdala activates the body’s alarm system. —

Rabbi Bruce D. Forman, Sun Sentinel, 25 Mar. 2026 In a process called simultaneous contrast, our brain perceives colored objects in relation to the color of the background that they’re viewed against. —

Nora Bradford, Scientific American, 23 Mar. 2026 The legal penalties for people abroad echo the clause in the National Security Law which China imposed on Hong Kong in 2020, which states that authorities can prosecute people based outside China over actions that Beijing perceives as secession or subversion. —

ABC News, 11 Mar. 2026 The White House perceives Iran to be weak. —

The Week Uk, TheWeek, 8 Mar. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for perceives

Verb

Trigeminovascular System Activation Initiates Headache Pain The initiation of cortical spreading depression, which is linked to an aura, also activates the trigeminovascular system, a network of nerves and blood vessels in your head that senses pain and sends signals to your brain.

— Anna Giorgi, Verywell Health, 30 Apr. 2026
The team also found genetic differences between cancers that were able to spread in the heart and those that were not, and identified a protein that senses mechanical forces and reduces the activity of genes linked to proliferation in cancer cells.

— Anil Oza, STAT, 23 Apr. 2026