Adjective that means physically felt

Question

I'm looking for an adjective that can be used in an exchange like this:

Me: I have a gift for you.
Other: Is it the gift of happiness?
Me: I was thinking of something much more _____.

The blank would be a word that means something directly, explicitly, physically felt, like a kiss. The word "visceral" comes to mind, but that's:

relating to deep inward feelings rather than to the intellect. — Oxford Dictionaries
felt in or as if in the internal organs of the body. — Merriam Webster

which is not quite what I'm looking for.

something much more concrete, like a box of chocolates or theater tickets. — KarlG, Mar 01 '18 at 21:22
In the future please cite your sources. In addition, code formatting should not be used for non-code—use quote format instead. (I have fixed both of these things for you in your post.) — Laurel, Mar 01 '18 at 21:33
@KarlG I see which direction you're going, however I'm thinking of a more direct physical interaction like a kiss. — defect, Mar 01 '18 at 21:41

score 4 · Answer 1 · answered Mar 01 '18 at 21:48

4

tangible is the first word that comes to mind

also palpable

or concrete

answered Mar 01 '18 at 21:48

JeffSahol

18,696

Tushar Raj · Accepted Answer · 2018-03-01T22:08:42.350

4

I was thinking of something much more palpable

Able to be touched or felt.

[Oxford]

edited Mar 01 '18 at 22:08

answered Mar 01 '18 at 21:49

Tushar Raj

21,025

Palpable is perfect. – defect Mar 01 '18 at 22:00

score 1 · Answer 3 · edited Jun 22 '22 at 08:16

My first thought was the word tangible:

CD: real and not imaginary; able to be shown, touched, or experienced

MW: capable of being perceived by the sense of touch

I think that the word tangible fits this context just fine, but you may also consider these two words:

CD: material

relating to physical objects or money rather than emotions or the spiritual world

CD: concrete

clear and certain, or real and existing in a form that can be seen or felt

Though, when it comes to which of these three words is actually used in this exact context, based on COCA, we've got just 14 results for something more tangible, 21 results for something more concrete, and... 0 results for something more material.

Adjective that means physically felt

3 Answers3