as in wise
formal
having or showing an ability to notice and understand things that are difficult or not obvious
She considers herself a perspicacious judge of character. The critic made some perspicacious observations about the film.
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Recent Examples of perspicacious
The 'perspicacious' Marvin Harrison Jr., and what that means for the Cardinals
Like the former Ohio State star, Devin, 6-foot-2 and 185 pounds, also was a receiver.
—
Doug Haller, The Athletic, 29 July 2024
If a new Bridgerton-sibling romance each season is the series’ gimmick, then Penelope has proven to be its soul—a vividly realistic protagonist whose perspicacious alter ego tethered each fairytale courtship to earth.
—Judy Berman, TIME, 14 June 2024
More perspicacious than angry invective alone, that alchemy of tones has been her signature since the early ’90s, when a 20-something Hanna fronted Bikini Kill, the punk band that became the most visible act associated with the third-wave feminist movement known as riot grrrl.
—TIME, 7 May 2024
One of the few perspicacious journalists of the Trump era, Graeme Wood, put it pithily: The Deep State is in the White House, and Trump appointed it.
—Michael Brendan Dougherty, National Review, 13 Dec. 2023
With the help of friends in the publishing world, Jaffrey’s draft landed in the hands of the perspicacious Knopf editor Judith Jones in 1971.
—Mayukh Sen, Washington Post, 27 Nov. 2023
Photographs show Pym looking jolly and perspicacious, with charmingly crooked English teeth.
—Thomas Mallon, The New Yorker, 30 May 2022
This particular Ferrari F50 was delivered new, in 1996, to Étienne Léandri, a defense lawyer and perspicacious Ferrari collector from Monaco.
—Robert Ross, Robb Report, 7 Mar. 2022
As some of the nation’s most perspicacious observers have noted, self-regulation is a crucial component of fixing what’s wrong with social media.
—Gilad Edelman, Wired, 30 Sep. 2021
Doug Haller, The Athletic, 29 July 2024
If a new Bridgerton-sibling romance each season is the series’ gimmick, then Penelope has proven to be its soul—a vividly realistic protagonist whose perspicacious alter ego tethered each fairytale courtship to earth.
—Judy Berman, TIME, 14 June 2024
More perspicacious than angry invective alone, that alchemy of tones has been her signature since the early ’90s, when a 20-something Hanna fronted Bikini Kill, the punk band that became the most visible act associated with the third-wave feminist movement known as riot grrrl.
—TIME, 7 May 2024
One of the few perspicacious journalists of the Trump era, Graeme Wood, put it pithily: The Deep State is in the White House, and Trump appointed it.
—Michael Brendan Dougherty, National Review, 13 Dec. 2023
With the help of friends in the publishing world, Jaffrey’s draft landed in the hands of the perspicacious Knopf editor Judith Jones in 1971.
—Mayukh Sen, Washington Post, 27 Nov. 2023
Photographs show Pym looking jolly and perspicacious, with charmingly crooked English teeth.
—Thomas Mallon, The New Yorker, 30 May 2022
This particular Ferrari F50 was delivered new, in 1996, to Étienne Léandri, a defense lawyer and perspicacious Ferrari collector from Monaco.
—Robert Ross, Robb Report, 7 Mar. 2022
As some of the nation’s most perspicacious observers have noted, self-regulation is a crucial component of fixing what’s wrong with social media.
—Gilad Edelman, Wired, 30 Sep. 2021
Recent Examples of Synonyms for perspicacious
Adjective
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Mid-soul-searching, a wise friend suggested something.—
Jed Brewer,
Rolling Stone,
1 Apr. 2025
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Getting struck by lightning might not sound like a very wise idea to us, but for one tropical tree species, an occasional zap is a good thing.—
Sara Hashemi,
Smithsonian Magazine,
31 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Metcalfe law—the value of a network is proportional to the square of the number of its users—encapsulates a brilliant marketing concept, engineered to get early adopters—and more important, their accountants—over the difficulty of calculating the ROI for a new, expensive, unproven technology.—
Gil Press,
Forbes.com,
30 Mar. 2025
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Dramatic video from the launch shows the rocket tumbling just seconds into flight before plummeting to the icy ground below and exploding in a brilliant fireball.—
Brett Tingley,
Space.com,
30 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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The digital device is exhausted, the runtime stretches a tad too long, and a club scene that begins as an admirable feat (making clever use of the Music Box Theatre) begins to drag, before giving way to a crucial turning point in the story.—
Shania Russell,
EW.com,
28 Mar. 2025
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Later in the same game, Miami ran four verts with a clever outside receiver cross-field motion.—
Ted Nguyen,
New York Times,
28 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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By automating the most repetitive, time-consuming tasks with intelligent, autonomous AI employees, Artisan is redefining what productivity looks like for go-to-market teams.—
Dasha Shunina,
Forbes.com,
9 Apr. 2025
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Untangling a relationship with SpaceX Some of the most intelligent questions came from US Sen. Andy Kim, D-New Jersey.—
Eric Berger,
ArsTechnica,
9 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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The style is a challenge: should their comedy be smart and savvy or broad and easy-going?—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
10 Apr. 2025
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Generative artificial intelligence will lead to a generation of humans that will use this tool to become 120% smarter than the generation before them—this is the singularity of hope.—
Sam Sammane,
Forbes.com,
9 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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At the time, Jase said his father was keen to return to work.—
Erin Clack,
People.com,
6 Apr. 2025
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She’s been especially keen on animal print, from her leopard tote bag to her zebra Fendi backpack.—
Hannah Jackson,
Vogue,
4 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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However, the fact that the female figure may represent a priestess holding religious objects makes the discovery exceptional, as the researchers write.—
Sonja Anderson,
Smithsonian Magazine,
2 Apr. 2025
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Despite their extensive tag team history, the match devolved into a repetitive exchange of superkicks, failing to showcase the wrestlers' true abilities and leaving fans disappointed, especially amidst an otherwise exceptional WrestleMania card.—
Jason D. Greenblatt,
MSNBC Newsweek,
2 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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But, like any astute power ranking, there are certain tells about which nominees have an advantage.—
Devon Ivie,
Vulture,
3 Apr. 2025
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There’s a chance an astute hiker could probably see Prospect Park from the top of Cowles Mountain looking northeast.—
Phillip Molnar,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
2 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Perspicacious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/perspicacious. Accessed 13 Apr. 2025.
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