sagacious
adjective
Keith C. BurrisHendrik HertzbergHerman Melville
Did you know?
The Surprising Root of Sagacious
You might expect the root of sagacious to be sage, which, as an adjective, means "wise" or, as a noun, "a wise person." Despite similarities of spelling, sound, and sense, the two words are not closely related. Sagacious comes from sagire, a Latin verb meaning "to perceive keenly." Etymologists believe that sage comes from a different Latin verb, sapere, which means "to taste," "to have good taste," or "to be wise."
Did you know?
Hidden Meaning of Sagacious
Sagacious entered the English language around the beginning of the 17th century and, for some decades, referred to perceptiveness of sight, taste, and especially, smell. One of the first authors to use the word, Edward Topsell, wrote in 1607 of bees searching for something with “a most sagacious smelling-sence.” Sagacious has largely lost the sense (no pun intended) of being keen in sensory perception, and now almost exclusively means "of keen judgment, discerning.” The upshot is that English has words for the state of possessing acute vision (such as far-sighted) and a fine sense of touch (such as sensitive), but lacks any adjectives describing an excellent sense of smell.
Examples of sagacious in a Sentence
Hendrik Hertzberg, New Yorker, 18 Dec. 2000
It has allowed him to pre-empt conservative political attacks, to appear sagacious despite his inexperience …
—Alan Tonelson, Atlantic, June 1993
With commendably sagacious foresight, I sneaked spoils as well to the elders of key Judean cities whose good will I was cultivating for the future …
—Joseph Heller, God Knows, 1984
It has been suggested that we go to sleep at night because it is then too dark to do anything else; but owls, who are a venerably sagacious folk, do not sleep in the night-time.
—James Stephens, The Crock of Gold, 1912
a sagacious critique of the current social climate in our nation
Zac Ntim, Deadline, 17 Sep. 2024
Foster a balanced approach: While data can provide valuable insights at scale, integrating human judgment and industry expertise ensures a sagacious, well-rounded, and likely more ethical strategic investment approach.
—Douglas B. Laney, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2024
All that Manuel’s sagacious head coach Victor Valenzuela can do now is fine-tune his fighter’s composure.
—Ben Wyatt, Rolling Stone, 23 Sep. 2023
The story, which reads as a simple recitation of the facts, portrays the decision to use the bomb as one made with sagacious care.
—Andy Kifer, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 July 2023
In the eye-popping sci-fi epic, Winslet plays the sagacious Ronal, an alien queen and healer who leads the oceanic Metkayina clan.
—Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY, 16 Dec. 2022
There are many other indications of showmanly skills in the sagacious production by Eagle.
—Jack D. Grant, The Hollywood Reporter, 2 July 2022
Her character’s backstory is a compelling narrative that the franchise aims to explore over the series: Raised in Harlem with the guidance of a sagacious grandmother, Lally learned of the traditional magic that existed in her family bloodline despite their living in the nonmagical world.
—Shamira Ibrahim, Essence, 6 Apr. 2022
Leave it to the sagacious Linus Van Pelt to strip away the trappings of the Thanksgiving holiday tradition and find its essence.
—Ben Zimmer, WSJ, 25 Nov. 2021
Cite this Entry
“Sagacious.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sagacious. Accessed 8 Nov. 2025.
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sagacious
adjective
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