palpable
adj.so strong that you can almost feel or touch it. You use this to describe a mood or feeling that is very obvious to everyone.
adj.capable of being touched or felt; tangible. Often describes an intense atmosphere or emotion that is so evident it seems physical.
“The tension in the room was palpable.”
“When the results were announced, the sense of relief among the crowd was palpable.”
“The silence in the courtroom became palpable as the jury foreman stood up to deliver the final verdict, which would determine the defendant's fate.”
Often follows a linking verb like 'be', 'become', or 'remain'.
“Tension on the streets was palpable – you’d pedal home as quickly as you could.”
“The scene carries a palpable sense of dread and sadness.”
From Middle French palpable and its source, Latin palpābilis, which is from palpō (“to touch softly”) + -bilis.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.