perspicacious

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.

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective perspicacious differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of perspicacious are astute, sagacious, and shrewd. While all these words mean "acute in perception and sound in judgment," perspicacious implies unusual power to see through and understand what is puzzling or hidden.

a perspicacious counselor saw through the child's facade

When is astute a more appropriate choice than perspicacious?

Although the words astute and perspicacious have much in common, astute suggests shrewdness, perspicacity, and diplomatic skill.

an astute player of party politics

In what contexts can sagacious take the place of perspicacious?

The synonyms sagacious and perspicacious are sometimes interchangeable, but sagacious suggests wisdom, penetration, and farsightedness.

sagacious investors got in on the ground floor

When could shrewd be used to replace perspicacious?

While in some cases nearly identical to perspicacious, shrewd stresses practical, hardheaded cleverness and judgment.

a shrewd judge of character

Examples Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for perspicacious
Adjective
  • Only 38% of parents consider becoming a content creator to be a wise career choice.
    Jack Kelly, Forbes, 6 Dec. 2024
  • This approach would be wiser than pushing for a package of immediate and flashy short-term concessions that would damage alliances without realigning them meaningfully.
    Rush Doshi, Foreign Affairs, 29 Nov. 2024
Adjective
  • Negro and his team’s latest research suggests instead that the barn owl’s brilliant white plumage is in fact a form of nocturnal camouflage or counter-illumination that gives the hunter an element of surprise.
    Katie Hunt, CNN, 17 Dec. 2024
  • Sherwood then iced the game with a brilliant defensive play while protecting the late 2-0 lead.
    Harman Dayal, The Athletic, 17 Dec. 2024
Adjective
  • Walz’s work relies on manipulating online databases, but, like the work of MSCHF, his most clever projects bleed into the real world.
    Kyle Chayka, The New Yorker, 18 Dec. 2024
  • The deadlock was finally broken just before half-time as a clever pass from Yildiz found Vlahovic, who controlled it on the turn and slotted it between the ‘keeper’s legs.
    Adam Digby, Forbes, 18 Dec. 2024
Adjective
  • Every effort is a step toward raising emotional intelligent children.
    Kelsey Mora, Contributor, CNBC, 17 Dec. 2024
  • By using sound location detection, intelligent voiceprint as well as face, body, and lip recognition technology, Connect tracks the speaker and keeps them center stage with great accuracy.
    Mark Sparrow, Forbes, 17 Dec. 2024
Adjective
  • Smart money is on those building a future that includes a smart shorts programming strategy.
    Paul Pastor, The Hollywood Reporter, 17 Dec. 2024
  • This includes smart TVs, non-gaming laptops, phones, tablets or third party gaming devices.
    Paul Tassi, Forbes, 17 Dec. 2024
Adjective
  • In the culinary world, that spirit reveals itself in simple ingredients turning into delicious symphonies inclusive to this Eastern European land, igniting the nation’s residents, the Polish diaspora, and those keen to discover new, authentic tastes to unite over the Alexandra Foods dining table.
    Hilary Tetenbaum, USA TODAY, 11 Dec. 2024
  • Kathy says her daughter Paris Hilton is keen to host either Christmas Eve or Christmas Day this year.
    Becca Longmire, People.com, 11 Dec. 2024
Adjective
  • So those things are most challenging to teach: getting off the ball, range, making exceptional plays, his pre-pitch timing.
    Fabian Ardaya, The Athletic, 10 Dec. 2024
  • The hotel’s exceptional attention to detail in indigenous design and tailored service, along with its commitment to sustainability and the preservation of the local ecosystem, adds an enriching layer to your stay.
    Joe Niehaus, Travel + Leisure, 9 Dec. 2024
Adjective
  • Haunted by an investigation that went unsolved years ago, the aged and beleaguered yet incredibly astute Deke is drawn back into the world of homicide after teaming up with the young, driven, idealistic Jim Baxter (Malek).
    Travis Bean, Forbes, 23 Nov. 2024
  • The Polish festival could hardly ask for a jury chair more astute to the nuances of craft behind the camera as well as in front of it.
    Patrick Brzeski, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Nov. 2024

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Cite this Entry

“Perspicacious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/perspicacious. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.

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