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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:

which is not quite what I'm looking for.

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    something much more concrete, like a box of chocolates or theater tickets.
    – KarlG
    Commented Mar 1, 2018 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 ♦
    Commented Mar 1, 2018 at 21:33
  • @Laurel Thank you. StackOverflow is more my thing.
    – defect
    Commented Mar 1, 2018 at 21:39
  • @KarlG I see which direction you're going, however I'm thinking of a more direct physical interaction like a kiss.
    – defect
    Commented Mar 1, 2018 at 21:41
  • Something more "moving"?
    – Dispenser
    Commented Mar 1, 2018 at 21:47

3 Answers 3

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I was thinking of something much more palpable

  1. Able to be touched or felt.

[Oxford]

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  • Palpable is perfect.
    – defect
    Commented Mar 1, 2018 at 22:00
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tangible is the first word that comes to mind

also palpable

or concrete

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​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.

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