perspicacious

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 Forty-five years have passed since the late Professor Price coined his perspicacious term. IEEE Spectrum, 3 Nov. 2010 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 More perspicacious than angry invective alone, that alchemy of tones has been her signature since the early ’90s, when a 20-something Hanna fronted Bikini Kill, the punk band that became the most visible act associated with the third-wave feminist movement known as riot grrrl. TIME, 7 May 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for perspicacious
Adjective
  • Those who are successful in the job market learn how to embrace tradeoffs to make wise choices.
    Michael B. Horn, Time, 24 June 2025
  • Washington eventually adopted more sensible approaches that mobilized the resources of key allies, developed a wiser balance between conventional and nuclear tools, and assumed a less confrontational attitude toward Moscow.
    JENNIFER LIND, Foreign Affairs, 24 June 2025
Adjective
  • And all of the brilliant military minds involved in this attack.
    Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 22 June 2025
  • The fit is brilliant, and the Rockets don’t really lose any of their depth or identity with it.
    Zach Harper, New York Times, 22 June 2025
Adjective
  • Even the cleverest plans leave room for a little improvisation.
    Jack Lang, New York Times, 22 June 2025
  • This clever deck box works overtime as a bench for additional seating.
    Clara McMahon, People.com, 21 June 2025
Adjective
  • Lucy’s colleagues refer to men like him—tall, handsome, in finance, intelligent, urbane—as unicorns.
    Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 21 June 2025
  • Celebrate intelligent risk-taking, not just polished outcomes.
    Bill Fischer, Forbes.com, 21 June 2025
Adjective
  • Hundreds of years after mankind is wiped out, a smart buoy (Kristen Stewart) turns on and strikes up a friendship with the last satellite (Steven Yeun) launched into space.
    Brian Truitt, USA Today, 21 June 2025
  • He’s evaluated everything from TVs and soundbars to smart gadgets and wearables, ...
    Parker Hall, Wired News, 21 June 2025
Adjective
  • The first is that in the context of ‘zero fiscal space’ the constraints imposed by high levels of debt and deficits, will drive new splits within parties, for example between those who are keen to spend more on defence, versus those who wish to preserve social welfare safety nets.
    Mike O'Sullivan, Forbes.com, 28 June 2025
  • The director was also keen to flex about his new theater’s impressive hardware.
    Matt Donnelly, Variety, 27 June 2025
Adjective
  • On the pitching side, Tampa Bay’s greatest advantage has been exceptional durability.
    Daniel R. Epstein, Forbes.com, 25 June 2025
  • Danny Boyle is a director known for his exceptional use of music to score key — and now iconic — scenes in his films.
    Alex Ritman, Variety, 25 June 2025
Adjective
  • Although there are no easy solutions to these multiplying threats, U.S. leaders can significantly mitigate them by making astute, yet still modest, changes to the arsenal itself and to the overall role of nuclear strategy in U.S. foreign and defense policy.
    VIPIN NARANG, Foreign Affairs, 24 June 2025
  • The 51-year-old is widely considered one of the most astute tacticians in the Premier League and has been the figurehead of one of the smartest, shrewdest clubs anywhere in European soccer for the last seven years.
    Graham Ruthven, Forbes.com, 14 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Perspicacious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/perspicacious. Accessed 5 Jul. 2025.

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