ASTUTE Synonyms: 109 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the adjective 'astute' differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of astute are perspicacious , sagacious , and shrewd . While all these words mean "acute in perception and sound in judgment," astute suggests shrewdness, perspicacity, and diplomatic skill. // an astute player of party politics

Q: When could 'perspicacious' be used to replace 'astute'?

While in some cases nearly identical to astute , perspicacious implies unusual power to see through and understand what is puzzling or hidden. // a perspicacious counselor saw through the child's facade

Q: When might 'sagacious' be a better fit than 'astute'?

In some situations, the words sagacious and astute are roughly equivalent. However, sagacious suggests wisdom, penetration, and farsightedness. // sagacious investors got in on the ground floor

Q: When would 'shrewd' be a good substitute for 'astute'?

Although the words shrewd and astute have much in common, shrewd stresses practical, hardheaded cleverness and judgment. // a shrewd judge of character

astute

adjective

ə-ˈstüt

Definition of astute next

as in smart

having or showing a practical cleverness or judgment a police detective known to be an astute judge of character

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How does the adjective astute differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of astute are perspicacious, sagacious, and shrewd. While all these words mean "acute in perception and sound in judgment," astute suggests shrewdness, perspicacity, and diplomatic skill.

an astute player of party politics

When could perspicacious be used to replace astute?

While in some cases nearly identical to astute, perspicacious implies unusual power to see through and understand what is puzzling or hidden.

a perspicacious counselor saw through the child's facade

When might sagacious be a better fit than astute?

In some situations, the words sagacious and astute are roughly equivalent. However, sagacious suggests wisdom, penetration, and farsightedness.

sagacious investors got in on the ground floor

When would shrewd be a good substitute for astute?

Although the words shrewd and astute have much in common, shrewd stresses practical, hardheaded cleverness and judgment.

a shrewd judge of character

Examples of astute in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web However, astute observers might wonder why this buddha does not look like the historical Buddha, who lived in India about 2,500 years ago. —

Megan Bryson, The Conversation, 19 Aug. 2024 The more astute among you may notice that this timeline is a little rapid for dislosing security bugs in software. —

Kate O'Flaherty, Forbes, 8 Oct. 2024 The sacred role of comedy, the leveled ground of conversation standing under the astute guise of humor is for many the last place left for the difficult conversations to occur. —

Michael Ghannoum, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 Oct. 2024 Its pace is unhurried but never slack, and the production design contributions are all astute without distracting from the intimately human scale of this supernatural crisis. —

Dennis Harvey, Variety, 26 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for astute

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'astute.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.