Meanings
plural apperceptions
- especiallyuncountableKantianismThe 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.
- uncountablePsychological or mental perception; recognition.
For as she smiled I was gifted a glimpse past the apperception of an anonymous spherical quantity of human flesh; and into the individual.
2009, Adam Roberts, Yellow Blue Tibia1 more example
Conception is... the simplest act of thinking; it is the apprehension of the universal, as perception is the apperception of the particular.
1887, John Dewey, Psychology - countablehuman sciencesThe general process or a particular act of mental assimilation of new experience into the totality of one's past experience.
Origin
- Frenchaperception
- Englishapperception
Borrowed from French aperception (New Latin apperceptiō, used by Gottfried Leibniz (1646–1716)).
More words from French
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Catalan apercepció
- apercepciómind’s perception of itself as subject
Chinese Mandarin 覺察 /觉察, 覺知 /觉知
- 覺察 /觉察 (juéchá)mind’s perception of itself as subject
- 覺知 /觉知mind’s perception of itself as subject
Finnish apperseptio, apperseptio
- apperseptiomind’s perception of itself as subject
- apperseptiomental perception
- apperseptiomental assimilation of new experience
French aperception, apperception
- aperceptionmind’s perception of itself as subject
- apperceptionmind’s perception of itself as subject
German Apperzeption
- Apperzeptionmind’s perception of itself as subject
Italian appercezione
- appercezionemind’s perception of itself as subject
Japanese 統覚
- 統覚 (Tokaku)mind’s perception of itself as subject
Polish apercepcja, apercepcja
- apercepcjamind’s perception of itself as subject
- apercepcjamental perception
- apercepcjamental assimilation of new experience
- samoświadomośćmental assimilation of new experience
Portuguese apercepção, apercepção
- apercepçãomind’s perception of itself as subject
- apercepçãomental perception
- apreensãomental assimilation of new experience
Russian апперце́пция, апперце́пция
- апперце́пция (appercépcija)mind’s perception of itself as subject
- апперце́пция (appercépcija)mental perception
- апперце́пция (appercépcija)mental assimilation of new experience
Spanish apercepción
- apercepciónmind’s perception of itself as subject
Cite this entry
apperception. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/apperception
“apperception.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/apperception. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “apperception,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/apperception.
Source: apperception on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.