incisive
adjective
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Incisive has meant "impressively direct and decisive" since around 1834 and derives from the Latin verb caedere, meaning "to cut." Its linguistic kin include many cuttings from the fruitful stem caedere, such as scissors, chisel, incise ("to cut into or engrave"), excise ("to remove by cutting"), incisor ("a front tooth typically adapted for cutting"), incision ("cut" or "gash"), precise ("minutely exact"), and concise ("brief"). Incisive also carries a couple of lesser-known literal meanings relating to cutting: "having a cutting edge or piercing point" (as in "incisive fangs"), and, in dentistry, "of, relating to, or situated near the incisors."
Examples of incisive in a Sentence
Jessica Gelt, Los Angeles Times, 25 Apr. 2025
And the annual Welcome to Freetown show blends Carnival energy with Carnival consciousness, as the six-part musical collective known for incisive lyrics and creative expression perform with vibrancy and passion.
—Baz Dreisinger, Forbes.com, 5 Apr. 2025
Carl Nagle Carl Nagle and his distinguished team at Nagle & Associates, P.A., based in North Carolina, are highly focused legal advocates, delivering incisive expertise and assertive advocacy for North Carolina motor vehicle accident victims.
—William Jones, USA Today, 31 Mar. 2025
But the current season isn’t as fizzy or as incisive as the two before.
—Sheldon Pearce, The New Yorker, 21 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for incisive
Cite this Entry
“Incisive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/incisive. Accessed 30 Apr. 2025.
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incisive
adjective
Medical Definition
incisive
adjective
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