acumen

[ uh-kyoo-muhn, ak-yuh- ]
See synonyms for acumen on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. keen insight; shrewdness: remarkable acumen in business matters.

Origin of acumen

1
First recorded in 1525–35; from Latin acūmen “sharpness,” from acū-, stem of acuere “to sharpen” (see acute) + -men, noun suffix

Other words from acumen

  • a·cu·mi·nous [uh-kyoo-muh-nuhs], /əˈkyu mə nəs/, adjective
  • un·a·cu·mi·nous, adjective

Words Nearby acumen

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use acumen in a sentence

  • Moreover, he held strong views on men and movements, and his criticisms told of a man of more than ordinary intellectual acumen.

    The Everlasting Arms | Joseph Hocking
  • It did not seem at all likely that a man of Mr. Bidlake's experience and mental acumen could have been so deceived.

    The Everlasting Arms | Joseph Hocking
  • This intellectual subtlety, acumen, and logical power the Brahmans never lost.

  • This covers up also a good deal of business acumen, shrewdness, and secretiveness which is not so childlike and bland.

  • She admired the acumen that had seized the perfect opportunity to thank her for the violets, the badge of the Great Emperor.

British Dictionary definitions for acumen

acumen

/ (ˈækjʊˌmɛn, əˈkjuːmən) /


noun
  1. the ability to judge well; keen discernment; insight

Origin of acumen

1
C16: from Latin: sharpness, from acuere to sharpen, from acus needle

Derived forms of acumen

  • acuminous, adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012