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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Plunkett is not the first critic to trouble the popular conception of Frost as a wise woodsman dispensing comfort and inspiration.—
Maggie Doherty,
The New Yorker,
24 Feb. 2025
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The decision to put Kreider in over Kyle Connor, who has 30 goals this year, did not end up looking like a wise one.—
Arthur Staple,
The Athletic,
24 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Using a combination of many brilliant innovations, and among other accomplishments, DeepSeek was able to reduce the cost of inference or thinking by a substantial amount.—
Philip Maymin,
Forbes,
21 Feb. 2025
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The story turns on brilliant scientist Rebecca Abrams (47), who experiences a career setback after anonymous allegations of abuses of power are brought against her.—
John Hopewell,
Variety,
21 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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More News: William Byron Just Pulled Off a Daytona 500 Feat Only Four Others Have Speaking about the incident in an interview, Byron seemed amused by the clever digital jest.—
Tom Rogers,
Newsweek,
22 Feb. 2025
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The clever critters have apparently learned that the sewers are safer than busy roads.—
Melissa Locker,
Southern Living,
21 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Any edge comes from their regular scene partners: Wilson’s believably unpleasant demeanor, Bratt’s vulnerable charm, Scott’s lo-fi depression and, most appealingly, Driver’s intelligent wariness.—
Robert Abele,
Los Angeles Times,
21 Feb. 2025
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The application can generate unit test cases, propose intelligent code fixes and answer some coding queries, including refactoring.—
Bankim Chandra,
Forbes,
21 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Installation and Performance: Simple and Satisfactory As with most smart thermostats, the Commercial Electric model is easy to install, but doing so involves working with low-voltage wiring.—
PCMAG,
PCMAG,
21 Feb. 2025
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But Axios wants our content where smart, curious readers congregate — and X is inarguably the top platform for tens of millions of them.—
Jim VandeHei,
Axios,
21 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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But the web giant — always keen to serve up what its customers are looking for — has not given up on the high end.—
Evan Clark,
WWD,
16 Feb. 2025
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Hammer seems keen on taking control of his own narrative.—
Scott Roxborough,
The Hollywood Reporter,
14 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Tilda Swinton, 'Michael Clayton' (2008) Swinton and George Clooney make exceptional adversaries in the engrossing legal thriller.—
Brian Truitt,
USA TODAY,
25 Feb. 2025
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The report found the company to be exceptional, with quibbles so minor that explaining them here would require a crash course in the dense lexicon of climate reporting.—
Justin Worland,
TIME,
25 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Jacobs-Jenkins’ astute observations of White American life from his perspective as a Black playwright are fresh and illuminating.—
Pam Kragen,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
31 Jan. 2025
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Regardless, Long’s point was an astute and frightening one for the rest of the NFC: Daniels isn’t just a promising rookie quarterback.—
Pat Leonard,
New York Daily News,
30 Jan. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Perspicacious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/perspicacious. Accessed 28 Feb. 2025.
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