Impresszió

Impresszió is a Hungarian noun meaning an impression: a mental image, feeling, or interpretation arising from sensory experience or a particular situation. It can denote a fleeting perceptual experience, such as the impression a scene makes on the observer, or a more lasting sense of a person, place, or work. The term is commonly used in everyday language and in professional contexts to refer to a single reaction or to a set of formed perceptions.

Etymology and usage. The word is borrowed from the English impression, via the French form impression, and has been adapted to Hungarian spelling as impresszió. It appears in both generic and technical contexts. Common expressions include első impresszió (first impression) and impressziók (impressions). In academic writing, impresszió often functions as a neutral label for the phenomena of perception and initial judgment.

In psychology and the arts, impresszió has specific connotations. In psychology, the term is linked to impression formation—the cognitive process by which people integrate information to form judgements about others or situations. This process is influenced by information order, salience, and nonverbal cues. In art and culture, the concept relates to the immediate perceptual impact of a work. In Hungarian art history, the related movement is typically referred to as impresszionizmus (Impressionism), underscoring the role of perception, light, and atmosphere in the style. Overall, impresszió encompasses both everyday perceptual experience and more formal analyses of how stimuli evoke understanding and feeling.