perspicacious

Definition of perspicaciousnext
as in wise
formal having or showing an ability to notice and understand things that are difficult or not obvious She considers herself a perspicacious judge of character. The critic made some perspicacious observations about the film.

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How does the adjective perspicacious differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of perspicacious are astute, sagacious, and shrewd. While all these words mean "acute in perception and sound in judgment," perspicacious implies unusual power to see through and understand what is puzzling or hidden.

a perspicacious counselor saw through the child's facade

When is astute a more appropriate choice than perspicacious?

Although the words astute and perspicacious have much in common, astute suggests shrewdness, perspicacity, and diplomatic skill.

an astute player of party politics

In what contexts can sagacious take the place of perspicacious?

The synonyms sagacious and perspicacious are sometimes interchangeable, but sagacious suggests wisdom, penetration, and farsightedness.

sagacious investors got in on the ground floor

When could shrewd be used to replace perspicacious?

While in some cases nearly identical to perspicacious, shrewd stresses practical, hardheaded cleverness and judgment.

a shrewd judge of character

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of perspicacious Instead, this trickster figure proffers the idea that Shakespeare was too perspicacious to be just some white guy. Theater Critic, San Francisco Chronicle, 29 Jan. 2026 If a new Bridgerton-sibling romance each season is the series’ gimmick, then Penelope has proven to be its soul—a vividly realistic protagonist whose perspicacious alter ego tethered each fairytale courtship to earth. Judy Berman, TIME, 14 June 2024 One of the few perspicacious journalists of the Trump era, Graeme Wood, put it pithily: The Deep State is in the White House, and Trump appointed it. Michael Brendan Dougherty, National Review, 13 Dec. 2023 With the help of friends in the publishing world, Jaffrey’s draft landed in the hands of the perspicacious Knopf editor Judith Jones in 1971. Mayukh Sen, Washington Post, 27 Nov. 2023 Photographs show Pym looking jolly and perspicacious, with charmingly crooked English teeth. Thomas Mallon, The New Yorker, 30 May 2022 As played by the perspicacious young performer Aoife Riddell, Phoebe is perhaps the realest part of the whole picture, a sweet and desperate and boy-crazy kid bouncing with eagerness and nerves. Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019 Forty-five years have passed since the late Professor Price coined his perspicacious term. IEEE Spectrum, 3 Nov. 2010
Recent Examples of Synonyms for perspicacious
Adjective
  • Lawmakers would be wiser to focus on AI legal matters pertaining to AI emotion detection consisting of transparency, disclosure requirements, informed consent, age restrictions, auditing, commercial exploitation, and the like.
    Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 30 May 2026
  • Poonawala raised his 12-month price target to $170 per share from $150 and said investors would be wise to buy the stock now.
    Michael Bloom, CNBC, 30 May 2026
Adjective
  • The Brazilian defender had been brilliant all match but sends his penalty blazing over the bar.
    Ben Church, CNN Money, 30 May 2026
  • Opposition player of the season Federico Valverde was brilliant when City were beaten at the Santiago Bernabeu in the Champions League last 16.
    Sam Lee, New York Times, 29 May 2026
Adjective
  • There’s a fine blue line between stupid and clever.
    Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 31 May 2026
  • Auoon Clip-On Pot Strainer This clever clip-on pot strainer takes up less space in the cabinet and the dishwasher, and makes quick work of straining pasta water, washing fruit and vegetables, and more.
    Maggie Horton, PEOPLE, 30 May 2026
Adjective
  • According to the company, the system has become a key part of its broader push to expand intelligent driving capabilities across its vehicle lineup, CarNewsChina reported.
    Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 24 May 2026
  • Maybe intelligent aliens do not want to communicate with us, and conceal their existence.
    Dani Di Placido, Forbes.com, 22 May 2026
Adjective
  • Lane pointed to Adams State’s direct admissions program as a smart intervention that attracts students who might have otherwise overlooked college.
    Elizabeth Hernandez, Denver Post, 31 May 2026
  • The next generation of commerce may not belong solely to the smartest AI models, but to the companies who are most capable of balancing complexity on the business side, while delivering trust and simplicity on the consumer side.
    Jacques Ledbetter, Forbes.com, 30 May 2026
Adjective
  • Had the club avoided relegation, sources say Disasi would have been keen to join on a permanent deal.
    Roshane Thomas, New York Times, 28 May 2026
  • During a recent interview with Rolling Stone, Vile was eager to chat about some things (the recording process, his musical heroes) and less keen to do much self-probing.
    Jonathan Bernstein, Rolling Stone, 28 May 2026
Adjective
  • At the annual Valedictorians Luncheon at Fenway Park on Tuesday, the mayor, BPS leadership and city officials spoke to the exceptional achievement of the 33 graduates who represented the tops of their classes.
    Grace Zokovitch, Boston Herald, 27 May 2026
  • Executive chef Alessandro Lucassino’s kitchen operates on the principle of letting the exceptional Mediterranean produce speak for itself.
    Jamie Timson, TheWeek, 27 May 2026
Adjective
  • While the criticism is well deserved, to its credit, the report does make a handful of astute observations that Democrats would be wise not to dismiss.
    Douglas Schoen, Oc Register, 28 May 2026
  • The Cult Content Boom The three-part series, however, is grounded with an astute cast, headed by former cult member Hoyt Richards, a 1980s and ’90s supermodel, the face of global campaigns for Versace, Valentino, Cartier and Ralph Lauren.
    R. Daniel Foster, Forbes.com, 28 May 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Perspicacious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/perspicacious. Accessed 1 Jun. 2026.

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