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

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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

Example 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for perspicacious
Adjective
  • Here, Forbes Coaches Council members share wise strategies for tactfully and strategically highlighting your contributions at work.
    Expert Panel®, Forbes, 19 Mar. 2025
  • Speaking of family, Nivola’s parents gave him some wise advice.
    Lea Veloso, StyleCaster, 16 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • Recognizing team members regularly enhances your emotional intelligence (EI) and creates a more emotionally intelligent workplace.
    Luciana Paulise, Forbes.com, 29 Mar. 2025
  • There is a troubling amount of survey data that has suggested that even in the contemporary era, there are many people who believe that Black people are inherently less intelligent genetically, and therefore that educational interventions are not likely to be effective.
    Dana Taylor, USA Today, 27 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Body scale: on sale for $79.95 Original price: $99.95 This smart scale measures weight, BMI, body fat percentage, muscle mass, bone mass, and water percentage.
    Nora Colomer, FOXNews.com, 29 Mar. 2025
  • Generic 20ft Prefabricated Expandable House $16,999 at Amazon With nearly 400 square feet of space, this tiny house features a smart layout that makes use of every inch.
    Caley Sturgill, Southern Living, 29 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • And, in public, many top executives are keen to praise Trump and show close relations with the White House.
    Justin Worland/Houston, TIME, 21 Mar. 2025
  • Some keen planners even grow real rye grass to complement their haul!
    Abigail Wilt, Southern Living, 21 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Less Than 1% Of Brackets Remain Perfect On First Day Of Tournament Don't Overlook Humility Technical skills and strategic thinking are vital, but humility is one of the most defining traits of exceptional leaders.
    Julian Hayes II, Forbes, 21 Mar. 2025
  • When William finally appears in person late in the game, the faceoff between him and Eddie is worth the wait if only just to see these two exceptional actors go at it.
    Pete Hammond, Deadline, 20 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Pelosi, 84, is serving her 20th term representing her San Francisco district in Congress and is seen by many as one of the most astute and impressive American political leaders in modern times.
    Mark Davis, Newsweek, 16 Mar. 2025
  • Andrews' nuanced design of P.L. Travers' creation is an astute, mellifluous, and delightfully intimidating creature of talent and propriety — and as the world would realize, so, too, was Andrews.
    EW Staff, EW.com, 2 Mar. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Perspicacious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/perspicacious. Accessed 2 Apr. 2025.

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