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perspicace

perceptive

adjective per-spee-KAH-cheh Rare
Descriptions & Qualities Personality

Origin: Latin perspicax, from perspicere (to see through clearly)

Also means

shrewd

Usage Note

Perspicace describes someone with keen insight or sharp judgment: una mente perspicace ('a perceptive mind'). It is invariable for gender (un osservatore perspicace / una critica perspicace), with plural perspicaci. Closer in meaning to 'astute' or 'sharp' than to merely 'observant' (attento).

Examples

"Il detective perspicace notò ogni dettaglio."

Natural Translation

The perceptive detective noticed every detail.

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