Apperception

//ˌæpəˈsɛpʃən// noun

noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    The mind's perception of itself as the subject or actor in its own states, unifying past and present experiences; self-consciousness, perception that reflects upon itself. especially, uncountable
  2. 2
    the process whereby perceived qualities of an object are related to past experience wordnet
  3. 3
    Psychological or mental perception; recognition. uncountable

    "Conception is... the simplest act of thinking; it is the apprehension of the universal, as perception is the apperception of the particular."

  4. 4
    The general process or a particular act of mental assimilation of new experience into the totality of one's past experience. countable

Synonyms

All synonyms
acuityacumenappreciationassimilationawarenesscogency

Example

More examples

"A society is only as free as its apperception of diversity is heightened."

Etymology

Borrowed from French aperception (New Latin apperceptiō, used by Gottfried Leibnitz (1646–1716)).

Related phrases

self consciousness

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.