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
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
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
-
Virgos are patient, kind, and wise like Sundown.—
Lisa Stardust,
PEOPLE,
16 May 2026
-
The two candidates who advance to the general election would be wise to offer Californians a hope for the future that doesn’t call back to our yesterdays.—
Gustavo Arellano,
Los Angeles Times,
15 May 2026
Adjective
-
As Cassius, Riley cast the brilliant, sad-eyed actor LaKeith Stanfield.—
Emily Nussbaum,
New Yorker,
17 May 2026
-
For just one example of how this firehose of data is expected to transform our understanding of the cosmos, consider supernovas, the brilliant death throes of exhausted stars.—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
15 May 2026
Adjective
-
But the most clever way to take advantage of this trend?—
Diana Tsui,
Footwear News,
15 May 2026
-
This clever ruse thwarted the late-summer naval attack.—
Kaitlyn Yarborough,
Southern Living,
15 May 2026
Adjective
-
In a world where intelligent systems can respond to events faster than any human team, reactive leadership loses its edge.—
Rhett Power,
Forbes.com,
17 May 2026
-
The device incorporates controllable blades, on-board batteries and intelligent control systems, aimed at optimizing its operation in real conditions of operation on the high seas.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
16 May 2026
Adjective
-
There is no analogous player in this squad to Grimaldo; Marc Cucurella, the man who has displaced him in the Spain team, is positionally smart but a more effective off-ball runner than on-ball playmaker.—
Liam Twomey,
New York Times,
17 May 2026
-
The clients who will be best positioned are the ones making smart decisions today — not the ones reacting to a tax bill six months from now.—
Greg Raiff,
Fortune,
16 May 2026
Adjective
-
Both countries are keen to boost that number, though where the White House’s red line is drawn — particularly around cutting-edge tech and AI components — will be key.—
Liz Hoffman,
semafor.com,
14 May 2026
-
So there’s been keen interest in McConaughey’s strategy.—
Todd Spangler,
Variety,
14 May 2026
Adjective
-
Toulouse pride themselves on a blend of youth and experience in their ranks, but this teenager was exceptional.—
Matt Woosnam,
New York Times,
13 May 2026
-
This may seem especially strange given birds’ exceptional vision.—
Yasemin Saplakoglu,
Quanta Magazine,
13 May 2026
Adjective
-
This astute portrait connects Jim Crow-era America and pre-World War II Europe, and is as fitting a portrait of the current sociopolitical moment.—
Time,
Time,
12 May 2026
-
So to overturn the deficit and produce a performance, which was one of their best, most tactically and physically astute of the season, felt significant.—
Jacob Tanswell,
New York Times,
7 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Perspicacious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/perspicacious. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
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