Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- adj. Having or showing penetrating mental discernment; clear-sighted. See Synonyms at shrewd.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- Quick-sighted; sharp of sight.
- Of acute discernment.
- Synonyms Acute, shrewd, clear-sighted, sharp-witted. See astute.
Wiktionary
- adj. Of acute discernment; having keen insight; mentally perceptive.
- adj. Able to physically see clearly; quick-sighted; sharp-sighted.
GNU Webster's 1913
- adj. Having the power of seeing clearly; quick-sighted; sharp of sight.
- adj. Fig.: Of acute discernment; keen.
WordNet 3.0
- adj. acutely insightful and wise
- adj. mentally acute or penetratingly discerning
Etymologies
- From Latin perspicāx, perspicāc-, from perspicere, to look through; see perspective.
Examples
“Regardless of the fact that you don't know what the word perspicacious means, you continue to amaze me.”
“Martin also squeezes the word "perspicacious" into his first paragraph, and drops the dime "pleonastic" later on.”
“Anyone who proselytises on behalf of the enemy in a time of war can hardly be described as 'perspicacious' regardless of their race or religion (or lack thereof).”
On Thursday, the Legg report will be published along with...
“I ain't got much on them elocution skillz, but I gots it on the spellin' front: "perspicacious" ;”
“Apparently my perspective is 'perspicacious'. pftp wrote: I don't have heated rhetoric, nor am I necessarily denying AGW, I have a deep distrust of people from your side of the coin.”
“David Colander is always very pungent and perspicacious in his observations about economic grad education.”
“It surely has not escaped the attention of a person as perspicacious as yourself that many prominent historians have a leftist agenda, just as a righteous few have a rightist agenda.”
The Volokh Conspiracy » Taking the Washington Post to School
“They come from a perspicacious trio, three winemakers who prioritize site selection.”
Cautiously Raising a Glass to Single-Vineyard Finger Lakes Wines
“And it was Jacob and the perspicacious Bernie Goodman who suggested the idea for The Secret History Of Science Fiction; the book is due out next month.”
MIND MELD: Behind the Scenes...How the Hottest Short Fiction Anthologies Are Created (Part 2)
“Weinstein introduced Ackman as a perspicacious investor, which he is, generally.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘perspicacious’.
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GRE Barrons Wordlist
A complete Barron's Wordlist for GRE preparation. Your online flashcard replacement.
abase, abash, abate, abbreviate, abdicate, aberrant, aberration, abet, abeyance, abhor, abject, abjure and 4084 more...
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Interesting words
A list of words that are odd or words that I have looked up.
concupiscence, brize, scree, scoria, forestaff, spanaemia, valetudinarianism, distasture, pyrethrum, laudanum, gentian, bicameral and 1128 more...
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SAT Words
But only the ones that I don't already know.
abase, abash, abominate, abstruse, acclivity, accolade, accost, adroit, adulate, adulterate, adumbrate, affray and 241 more...
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common UA vocab. in US
Interesting, there is a traditional vocabulary of an Ukrainian, that differs from vocabulary of average American. It would be nice to explore it.
jackdaw, incongruous, cassock, vivid, magpie, humdrum, amongst, wonder, wandering, wheedling, wheedle, osseous and 368 more...
mcgelligot Do perspicacious and perspiration have the same root? Nov 14, 2008
palooka Such a beautiful word - in all its forms! Oct 21, 2007
chained_bear "I pop with perspicacity..." --Wilbur, "Charlotte's Web" Oct 21, 2007
kafkaesque The Simpsons (episode 2F19)
Lisa: Relax? I can't relax! Nor can I yield, relent, or -- Only two synonyms? Oh my God: I'm losing my perspicacity!
Homer: Well, it's always in the last place you look. Jan 20, 2007