acumen

[uh-kyoo-muhn, ak-yuh-]

noun

1. keen insight; shrewdness.

   remarkable acumen in business matters.

acumen

/ əˈkjuːmən, ˈækjʊˌmɛn /

noun

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

Other Word Forms

• acuminous adjective
• unacuminous adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of acumen¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of acumen¹

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

Example Sentences

He’s been awestruck by James’s rigorous conditioning and business acumen, and says he wants to learn more from him.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Now, he’s better known as a Bravo-lebrity who wrangled his sales acumen and witty workaholism into a real-estate and content empire.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

But her financial acumen hasn’t been as strong and that has hurt Occidental.

Read more on Barron's

"Their experience, leadership and technical acumen are what we need," Towriss said.

Read more on BBC

And with each new project, Qualley has only refined the acumen of her already sharp talents.

Read more on Salon

Related Words

• acuity 
• awareness 
• brilliance 
• guile 
• ingenuity 
• insight 
• intellect 
• intelligence 
• intuition 
• judgment 
• sensitivity 
• shrewdness 
• vision 
• wisdom 
• wit