as in obvious
not subject to misinterpretation or more than one interpretation
believing that poetry need not be as perspicuous as prose, he writes poems that are intentionally ambiguous
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Recent Examples of perspicuous
But where Hofstadter is playfully enigmatic and brashly brainy, Chalmers’s writing is perspicuous and teacherly — an approach that keeps it from collapsing into recalcitrant obscurity.
—
Washington Post, 11 Feb. 2022
Conditions in the state the planes left behind them were far less perspicuous.
—The Economist, 8 Feb. 2020
The president began his Monday by scrutinizing his national security briefing, filling its margins with perspicuous questions and observations.
—Eric Levitz, Daily Intelligencer, 10 July 2017
Unspoken but perspicuous is the wish to (at worst) score points off Democrats and (at best) free up a seat on the nation’s most important appeals court for a nominee from the Federalist Society weapons locker.
—Garrett Epps, The Atlantic, 12 May 2017
Washington Post, 11 Feb. 2022
Conditions in the state the planes left behind them were far less perspicuous.
—The Economist, 8 Feb. 2020
The president began his Monday by scrutinizing his national security briefing, filling its margins with perspicuous questions and observations.
—Eric Levitz, Daily Intelligencer, 10 July 2017
Unspoken but perspicuous is the wish to (at worst) score points off Democrats and (at best) free up a seat on the nation’s most important appeals court for a nominee from the Federalist Society weapons locker.
—Garrett Epps, The Atlantic, 12 May 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for perspicuous
Adjective
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Chapman followed with an RBI single, and the crowd cheered as many fans jumped to their feet in obvious relief.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
28 Mar. 2026
-
The voice on Lars’s tablet insisted that teaching was one of the most obvious tasks to delegate to humanoids.—
Alexandra Petri,
The Atlantic,
27 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The point of dropping bombs in Cuba, then, wouldn’t be to subdue the Cuban armed forces so much as to produce a visible, unmistakable rupture—a before and after that Trump can point to.—
Quico Toro,
The Atlantic,
27 Mar. 2026
-
The message to investors is unmistakable.—
Jeff Coller,
Fortune,
26 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Then Evans made another 3, prompting Pitino to turn his back in apparent disbelief.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
28 Mar. 2026
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The White House’s inability to grasp the agency of others — its apparent lack of a theory of mind for everyone outside its walls — gives Democrats, especially, a distinct advantage.—
Jamelle Bouie,
Mercury News,
28 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Ri’s process is evident in the surfaces themselves — scratched, layered, built up, and worn down.—
Olga Garcia-Mayoral,
Miami Herald,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Wilson’s Defense of Batula Amid Kyle Cooke Drama Wilson’s closeness to Batula was already evident to viewers this season, particularly during a tense on‑camera argument between Batula and Cooke that escalated late one night.—
Jenni Fink,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Requiring hours of collaboration and complex coding, the 1976 animation is, conversely, one of Bettina’s most visually straightforward objects.—
Katherine Rochester,
Artforum,
1 Apr. 2026
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While that sounds straightforward, the real value lies in its layered rewards system, which introduces additional earning opportunities as well as complications.—
Katherine Fan,
Condé Nast Traveler,
1 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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For a metro growing as fast as Charlotte, stores that survive will have clear identity on price, in-store experience or convenience, Lempert said.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
2 Apr. 2026
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The board terminated him, and now, for this latest incident to happen, the school board is sending another clear message.—
Jermont Terry,
CBS News,
2 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Food and drink Like everything else at The Rooster, the food has a distinct sense of place but also a cosmopolitan sensibility.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
30 Mar. 2026
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Because of its distinct grooves and marks, the stone piece was believed to be some kind of board game – but obviously no rulebook was dug up to confirm this.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
29 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Perspicuous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/perspicuous. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.
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