Definition of sapient
: possessing or expressing great sagacity
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Examples of sapient in a Sentence
an uncle who is always good for valuable insights and some sapient advice
Did You Know?
Human beings certainly like to think they're wise, and, in fact, the term "Homo sapiens" ("humankind") comes in part from the Latin word sapiens, meaning "wise" or "intelligent." "Sapiens" in turn comes from the verb "sapere," which means "to be wise" (and which also gave us "sage" and "savant"). "Sapiens" and "sapere" are also ancestors of our adjective "sapient," of course. "Sapient" came to us from Latin by way of Middle French and has been used in English to mean "wise" since the 15th century. In recent times it also has been used in anthropological contexts to mean "characteristic of modern humans."
Origin and Etymology of sapient
Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin sapient-, sapiens, from present participle of sapere to taste, be wise — more at sage
NEW! Time Traveler
First Known Use: 15th century
in the meaning defined above
See Words from the same yearsapient Synonyms
Synonyms
discerning, insightful, perceptive, prudent, sagacious, sage, wise;
Antonyms
Near Antonyms
dense, dull, obtuse, purblind, woodenheaded;
brainless, dumb, feebleminded, foolish, idiotic (also idiotical), imbecile (or imbecilic), knuckleheaded, moronic, silly, simple, slow, slow-witted, stupid, thoughtless, unintelligent, witless;
Related Words
acute, penetrating, percipient, perspicacious;
discriminating, discriminative;
brainy, bright, brilliant, clever, intelligent, keen, nimble, quick, quick-witted, smart;
cerebral, erudite, knowledgeable, learned, literate, scholarly;
astute, clearheaded, piercing, sharp, shrewd;
Synonym Discussion of sapient
wise, sage, sapient, judicious, prudent, sensible, sane mean having or showing sound judgment. wise suggests great understanding of people and of situations and unusual discernment and judgment in dealing with them.
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- wise beyond his tender years
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- the sage advice of my father
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- the sapient musings of an old philosopher
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- judicious parents using kindness and discipline in equal measure
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- a prudent decision to wait out the storm
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- a sensible woman who was not fooled by flattery
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- remained sane even in times of crises
Learn More about sapient
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Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for sapient Britannica English: Translation of sapient for Arabic speakers
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