perspicacity

noun

Definition of perspicacitynext
as in intellect
an ability to notice and understand things that are difficult or not obvious She had the perspicacity to recognize the underlying problem.

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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 perspicacity The financial manipulations that undergirded their fortunes get scrutinized as theft from the public purse, praise for their courage and perspicacity yields to condemnation for their conduct. — Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 7 Sep. 2026 And our unity with divine Mind endows each of us with the intelligence, spiritual insight, and perspicacity to make sound decisions, including consenting to receiving all the good God has prepared for us. — Karen Neff, Christian Science Monitor, 8 Apr. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for perspicacity
  1. intellect
  2. sensitivity
  3. intelligence
  4. power
  5. astuteness
  6. sense
  7. acumen
  8. acuity
Noun
  • And when the stakes are highest, Reina knows to trust her heart as well as her intellect.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 29 Oct. 2026
  • Reducing Gulliver’s Travels to only a topsy-turvy tale of humans both tiny and massive is to ignore the savage intellect that penned its words.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of intellect
Noun
  • Remaining awake late also coincides with the hours when human insulin sensitivity is at its lowest.
    — Khloe Quill, FOXNews.com, 7 Nov. 2026
  • The Action Button has proved somewhat controversial since its release, with users on social media like Reddit criticizing its placement and sensitivity.
    — Will McCurdy, PC Magazine, 7 Nov. 2026
Definition of sensitivity
Noun
  • Author Yuval Noah Harari has been pointing out the difference between consciousness and intelligence.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Floris was a former top intelligence analyst in charge at the bureau's Washington Field Office, while Benavides was the former deputy assistant director at the FBI's Counterintelligence Division.
    — Sarah N. Lynch, CBS News, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of intelligence
Noun
  • Democrats swept into power across the country on the promise of better economics for all Americans.
    — Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 13 Nov. 2026
  • The project would require significant power infrastructure, with its plans outlining a campus of nine computing buildings and capacity of up to 6 gigawatts when fully developed.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 13 Nov. 2026
Definition of power
Noun
  • The attack was a move that the usually hesitant Mas had never previously attempted, let alone pulled off, while the successful deployment of a satellite rider demonstrated tactical astuteness that the team have often been accused of lacking.
    — Chris Marshall-Bell, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of astuteness
Noun
  • At a free, all-day festival in Newark, hundreds gathered to celebrate Indian culture, with live music, traditional clothing and food creating a sense of connection to home.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 8 Nov. 2026
  • Democrats know what drove those voters away in the first place — cost of living, rent, grocery bills, public safety and a sense among working families that the party talks past them and even down to them.
    — Bradley Honan, New York Daily News, 8 Nov. 2026
Definition of sense
Noun
  • Cignetti has tapped into a distinctly Hoosier brand of team pride, which proves that his acumen is just as strong off the football field as on it.
    — Domenica Bongiovanni, IndyStar, 28 Jan. 2026
  • The guys up at Auburn rave about his intelligence, his football acumen and his work ethic.
    — Creg Stephenson | [email protected], al, 20 Jan. 2023
Definition of acumen
Noun
  • Jeon Do-yeon, meanwhile, brings to Possible Love the extraordinary emotional acuity that has made her one of Korean cinema’s most compelling performers.
    — Lisa Wong Macabasco, Vogue, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Beyond the emotional acuity, much of the film’s ambitious methods can feel like an anachronism in 2026.
    — Bridget Arsenault, Vanity Fair, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of acuity

Browse Nearby Words

perspicacious
perspicacity
perspicuity
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Cite this Entry

“Perspicacity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/perspicacity. Accessed 15 Nov. 2026.

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