Standard Lemma guide

perceptive

adj · noun · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /pəˈsɛptɪv/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • General-American: /pɚˈsɛptɪv/
  • rhymes with -ɛptɪv
  • CMU ARPABET: P ER0 S EH1 P T IH0 V Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Having or showing keenness or sharpness of perception, insight, understanding, or intuition.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • He is so perceptive when it comes to other people's feelings.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A supposed organ of the brain, dealing with concrete observations of reality.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: human-sciences, medicine, phrenology, psychology, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adjective

Meaning 3

having the ability to perceive or understand; keen in discernment

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • a perceptive eye
  • a perceptive observation

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: unperceptive

4

adjective

Meaning 4

of or relating to perception

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • perceptive faculties

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From Latin perceptīvus.

Across languages

Translations

52 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: възприемчив (vǎzpriemčiv) — having or showing keenness of perception, insight, understanding, or intuition
  • Bulgarian: схватлив (shvatliv) — having or showing keenness of perception, insight, understanding, or intuition
  • Catalan: aperceptiu — having or showing keenness of perception, insight, understanding, or intuition
  • Czech: vnímavý — having or showing keenness of perception, insight, understanding, or intuition
  • Danish: opmærksom — having or showing keenness of perception, insight, understanding, or intuition
  • Danish: klarsynet — having or showing keenness of perception, insight, understanding, or intuition
  • Dutch: opmerkzaam — having or showing keenness of perception, insight, understanding, or intuition
  • Dutch: scherpzinnig — having or showing keenness of perception, insight, understanding, or intuition
  • Esperanto: akrasenta — having or showing keenness of perception, insight, understanding, or intuition
  • Finnish: havaintokykyinen — having or showing keenness of perception, insight, understanding, or intuition
  • Finnish: tarkkanäköinen — having or showing keenness of perception, insight, understanding, or intuition
  • Finnish: terävä — having or showing keenness of perception, insight, understanding, or intuition
  • French: perspicace — having or showing keenness of perception, insight, understanding, or intuition
  • French: pertinent — having or showing keenness of perception, insight, understanding, or intuition
  • French: perceptif — having or showing keenness of perception, insight, understanding, or intuition
  • German: scharfsinnig — having or showing keenness of perception, insight, understanding, or intuition
  • German: einfühlsam — having or showing keenness of perception, insight, understanding, or intuition
  • Greek: οξυδερκής (oxyderkís) — having or showing keenness of perception, insight, understanding, or intuition
  • Ancient Greek: αἰσθητικός (aisthētikós) — having or showing keenness of perception, insight, understanding, or intuition
  • Hungarian: értelmes — having or showing keenness of perception, insight, understanding, or intuition
  • Hungarian: éles eszű — having or showing keenness of perception, insight, understanding, or intuition
  • Hungarian: éles szemű — having or showing keenness of perception, insight, understanding, or intuition
  • Hungarian: jó szemű — having or showing keenness of perception, insight, understanding, or intuition
  • Hungarian: figyelmes — having or showing keenness of perception, insight, understanding, or intuition
  • Hungarian: jó felfogású — having or showing keenness of perception, insight, understanding, or intuition
  • Hungarian: gyors felfogóképességű — having or showing keenness of perception, insight, understanding, or intuition
  • Hungarian: jó megfigyelő — having or showing keenness of perception, insight, understanding, or intuition
  • Hungarian: jó megfigyelőképességű — having or showing keenness of perception, insight, understanding, or intuition
  • Irish: airitheach — having or showing keenness of perception, insight, understanding, or intuition
  • Irish: braiteach — having or showing keenness of perception, insight, understanding, or intuition
  • Irish: céadfach — having or showing keenness of perception, insight, understanding, or intuition
  • Irish: céadfaíoch — having or showing keenness of perception, insight, understanding, or intuition
  • Irish: grinn — having or showing keenness of perception, insight, understanding, or intuition
  • Irish: léirsteanach — having or showing keenness of perception, insight, understanding, or intuition
  • Irish: mothaitheach — having or showing keenness of perception, insight, understanding, or intuition
  • Italian: perspicace — having or showing keenness of perception, insight, understanding, or intuition
  • Italian: acuto — having or showing keenness of perception, insight, understanding, or intuition
  • Latin: sagāx — having or showing keenness of perception, insight, understanding, or intuition
  • Latin: perceptīvus — having or showing keenness of perception, insight, understanding, or intuition
  • Latin: perspicāx — having or showing keenness of perception, insight, understanding, or intuition
  • Macedonian: про́никлив (prónikliv) — having or showing keenness of perception, insight, understanding, or intuition
  • Macedonian: воспри́емчив (vospríemčiv) — having or showing keenness of perception, insight, understanding, or intuition
  • Portuguese: perspicaz — having or showing keenness of perception, insight, understanding, or intuition
  • Portuguese: perceptivo — having or showing keenness of perception, insight, understanding, or intuition
  • Romanian: perspicace — having or showing keenness of perception, insight, understanding, or intuition
  • Romanian: perceptiv — having or showing keenness of perception, insight, understanding, or intuition
  • Russian: восприи́мчивый (vospriímčivyj) — having or showing keenness of perception, insight, understanding, or intuition
  • Spanish: perspicaz — having or showing keenness of perception, insight, understanding, or intuition
  • Swedish: insiktsfull — having or showing keenness of perception, insight, understanding, or intuition
  • Swedish: klarsynt — having or showing keenness of perception, insight, understanding, or intuition
  • Tagalog: watasin — having or showing keenness of perception, insight, understanding, or intuition
  • Turkish: idrak sahibi — having or showing keenness of perception, insight, understanding, or intuition