Perspicacious

//ˌpɜː.spɪˈkeɪ.ʃəs// adj

adj ·Moderate ·College level

Definitions

Adjective
  1. 1
    Of acute discernment; having keen insight; mentally perceptive. figuratively

    "As a gay prisoner my incarceration has given me a perspicacious view of our judicial system."

  2. 2
    Able to physically see clearly; quick-sighted; sharp-sighted. obsolete
Adjective
  1. 1
    mentally acute or penetratingly discerning wordnet
  2. 2
    acutely insightful and wise wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms
insightfulperceptivewiseacuteadroitall-knowing

Example

More examples

"Jane, your perspicacious child just figured out my Internet password."

Etymology

First attested 1548, from Late Latin perspicācitās (“discernment”), from Latin perspicax (“sharp-sighted”), from perspiciō (“look through”), from per- (“through”) + speciō (“look at”). See also perspective.

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.