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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Recent Examples of perspicacious
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
This particular Ferrari F50 was delivered new, in 1996, to Étienne Léandri, a defense lawyer and perspicacious Ferrari collector from Monaco.
—Robert Ross, Robb Report, 7 Mar. 2022
Forty-five years have passed since the late Professor Price coined his perspicacious term.
—IEEE Spectrum, 3 Nov. 2010
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
This particular Ferrari F50 was delivered new, in 1996, to Étienne Léandri, a defense lawyer and perspicacious Ferrari collector from Monaco.
—Robert Ross, Robb Report, 7 Mar. 2022
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
-
Given the nature of debate around the use of AI in production, the note seems a wise one.—
Stewart Clarke,
Deadline,
4 Nov. 2025
-
This wise, gentle character had been inhabited and portrayed by such eminent people.—
Jordan Moreau,
Variety,
4 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Wardrobe supervisor Earl Nicholson then offered a brilliant idea, which viewers see after Clarkson’s Kellyoke performance wraps.—
Dave Quinn,
PEOPLE,
31 Oct. 2025
-
It is surrounded by a system of brilliant rays extending outward in all directions for many hundreds of miles.—
Joe Rao,
Space.com,
31 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Fox’s costume is certainly clever — and on brand for Halloween — if not exactly tasteful.—
James Hibberd,
HollywoodReporter,
31 Oct. 2025
-
The decor is relatively spare, allowing the natural materials to shine and emphasizing clever design tricks like the dining-table bench built into the back of the kitchen island.—
Tori Latham,
Robb Report,
31 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
For the first time, a machine was able to do what only intelligent humans had previously done.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
4 Nov. 2025
-
Humans have a much larger neocortex than other animals, relative to body size, and the species with the largest neocortices—elephants, dolphins, gorillas, chimpanzees, dogs—are among the most intelligent.—
James Somers,
New Yorker,
3 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
Food systems now account for about a third of global greenhouse gas emissions, but scientists say regenerative agriculture and climate-smart farming can help flip that into a future where farms also help grow climate solutions.—
Jeff Young,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 Nov. 2025
-
Gerard Damiano was a smart guy, a hairdresser from the Bronx who directed Deep Throat and the follow-up, Devil in Miss Jones, which were killing it at the box office, high up on Variety’s Top 50 list of the highestgrossing films.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
6 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
Though much of the language around clean fashion is aimed at the health of the consumer, experts are keen to stress that benefits for those working in the supply chain should be considered, too.—
Sophie Benson,
Vogue,
30 Oct. 2025
-
Blending the two forms requires a keen eye for visuals and an uncanny sense of the surreal.—
Declan Gallagher,
Entertainment Weekly,
30 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Watches offer an opportunity to expand that world, telling our story through a new lens while answering a growing desire for pieces that combine design, with exceptional functionality.—
Thomas Waller,
Footwear News,
31 Oct. 2025
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Gift with Taste 672 elevates gifting with flexible deliveries of Napa’s most exceptional reds, handpicked by Robb Report editors.—
Bryan Hood,
Robb Report,
31 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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But astute viewers will see some other familiar, and perhaps surprising, rock ‘n’ roll faces in the production.—
Gary Graff,
Billboard,
25 Oct. 2025
-
Senne Lammens continuing his composed start to his United career could at least counteract those types of chances for Brighton, while Amorim’s defenders will need to be astute to the movement of Hurzeler’s front-line.—
Laurie Whitwell,
New York Times,
23 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Perspicacious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/perspicacious. Accessed 7 Nov. 2025.
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