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 The mature audience member makes one type of observation: astute. —

Sarah Garfinkel, The New Yorker, 10 Sep. 2024 Rather, the trio use their astute observations as fodder for their abductive reasoning. —

Diana Gitig, Ars Technica, 7 Sep. 2024 One of my very astute readers made a great observation recently that one thing this show is very bad at is conveying scope. —

Erik Kain, Forbes, 6 Sep. 2024 None of that would work without Williams’ obvious affection for Lucy, which adds still more poignancy to an already astute and wrenching performance. —

Indiewire Staff, IndieWire, 13 Aug. 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.