perceptive
Americanadjective
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having or showing keenness of insight, understanding, or intuition.
a perceptive analysis of the problems involved.
- Synonyms:
- astute, keen, sensitive, discerning
-
having the power or faculty of perceiving.
-
of, relating to, or showing perception.
adjective
-
quick at perceiving; observant
-
perceptual
-
able to perceive
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of perceptive
Explanation
If someone calls you perceptive, they mean you are good at understanding things or figuring things out. Perceptive people are insightful, intelligent, and able to see what others cannot. Perceive means "to see"; so, perceptive is a word to describe someone who is good at seeing. Perceptive is derived from the Latin word percipere which means "to obtain or gather." A perceptive person is good at gathering information and using her senses to take in the world. If you are upset but trying to hide it, a perceptive person is the one who will notice.
Vocabulary lists containing perceptive
ACT Reading Test: Words to Capture Tone, List 1
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The SAT: Words to Capture Tone, List 5
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The New SAT: Words to Capture Tone
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Perceptive forecasters are paid to factor in developments like that.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 8, 2026
Codenamed the AI Perceptive Companion, the pendant features a microphone and camera and "sees what you see and hears what your hear," Lenovo vice president Luca Rossi told reporters.
From Barron's • Jan. 7, 2026
Perceptive viewers may have noticed a mammalian bias in the original — there were no reptiles to be found in its near-perfect society.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 23, 2025
The company was called Perceptive Pixel, a bunch of graduate students, brilliant guys at NYU.
From Slate • Nov. 5, 2024
“Yes. Perceptive of you to notice,” I reply.
From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
