Standard Lemma guide

perspicacious

adj · 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: /ˌpɜː.spɪˈkeɪ.ʃəs/
  • US: pûr'spĭ·kā'shəs
  • US: /ˌpɜːɹ.spɪˈkeɪ.ʃəs/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -eɪʃəs
  • CMU ARPABET: P ER0 S P AH0 K EY1 SH AH0 S Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Of acute discernment; having keen insight; mentally perceptive.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: figuratively

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Able to physically see clearly; quick-sighted; sharp-sighted.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: obsolete

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adjective satellite

Meaning 3

mentally acute or penetratingly discerning

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • too clear-eyed not to see what problems would follow
  • chaos could be prevented only by clear-sighted leadership
  • much too perspicacious to be taken in by so spurious an argument

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: clear-eyed, clear-sighted

Antonyms: none provided

4

adjective satellite

Meaning 4

acutely insightful and wise

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • much too perspicacious to be taken in by such a spurious argument
  • observant and thoughtful, he was given to asking sagacious questions
  • a source of valuable insights and sapient advice to educators

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: sagacious, sapient

Antonyms: none provided

History

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.

Across languages

Translations

59 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: مُتَبَصِّر (mutabaṣṣir) — showing keen insight
  • Belarusian: прані́клівы (praníklivy) — showing keen insight
  • Bulgarian: проницателен (pronicatelen) — showing keen insight
  • Bulgarian: прозорлив (prozorliv) — showing keen insight
  • Catalan: perspicaç — showing keen insight
  • Chinese Mandarin: 明察秋毫 (míngchá qiūháo) — showing keen insight
  • Czech: bystrý — showing keen insight
  • Danish: klarsynet — showing keen insight
  • Dutch: scherpzinnig — showing keen insight
  • Dutch: spitsvondig — showing keen insight
  • Dutch: schrander — showing keen insight
  • Esperanto: akrasenta — showing keen insight
  • Esperanto: akravida — showing keen insight
  • Estonian: tähelepanelik — showing keen insight
  • Finnish: tarkkanäköinen — showing keen insight
  • French: perspicace — showing keen insight
  • German: scharfsinnig — showing keen insight
  • Greek: οξυδερκής (oxyderkís) — showing keen insight
  • Hindi: सूक्ष्मदर्शी (sūkṣmadarśī) — showing keen insight
  • Hungarian: tisztánlátó — showing keen insight
  • Italian: perspicace — showing keen insight
  • Japanese: 明察 (meisatsu) — showing keen insight
  • Japanese: 明敏 (meibin) — showing keen insight
  • Japanese: 明達 (meitatsu) — showing keen insight
  • Korean: 명민한 (myeongminhan) — showing keen insight
  • Korean: 총기 있는 (chonggi inneun) — showing keen insight
  • Latin: perspicax — showing keen insight
  • Lithuanian: įžvalgus — showing keen insight
  • Macedonian: про́никлив (prónikliv) — showing keen insight
  • Macedonian: остро́умен (ostróumen) — showing keen insight
  • Norwegian Bokmål: skarpsindig — showing keen insight
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: skarpsindig — showing keen insight
  • Polish: wnikliwy — showing keen insight
  • Polish: przenikliwy — showing keen insight
  • Portuguese: perspicaz — showing keen insight
  • Romanian: perspicace — showing keen insight
  • Russian: проница́тельный (pronicátelʹnyj) — showing keen insight
  • Slovak: bystrý — showing keen insight
  • Slovene: pronicljiv — showing keen insight
  • Spanish: perspicaz — showing keen insight
  • Swedish: klarsynt — showing keen insight
  • Turkish: zeki — showing keen insight
  • Ukrainian: прони́кливий (pronýklyvyj) — showing keen insight
  • Urdu: چتر — showing keen insight
  • Bulgarian: зорък (zorǎk) — able to physically see clearly
  • Dutch: scherpziend — able to physically see clearly
  • Esperanto: akravida — able to physically see clearly
  • French: clairvoyant — able to physically see clearly
  • Greek: οξυδερκής (oxyderkís) — able to physically see clearly
  • Japanese: 明視 (meishi) — able to physically see clearly
  • Latin: perspicax — able to physically see clearly
  • Macedonian: о́строок (óstrook) — able to physically see clearly
  • Norwegian: klarsynt — able to physically see clearly
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: klarsynt — able to physically see clearly
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: klårsynt — able to physically see clearly
  • Polish: bystry — able to physically see clearly
  • Russian: зо́ркий (zórkij) — able to physically see clearly
  • Spanish: clarividente — able to physically see clearly
  • Swedish: klarsynt — able to physically see clearly