acumen

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

noun

1. keen insight; shrewdness:

   remarkable acumen in business matters.

acumen

/ ˈækjʊˌmɛn; əˈkjuːmən /

noun

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

Derived Forms

• aˈcuminous, adjective

Other Words From

• a·cu·mi·nous [uh, -, kyoo, -m, uh, -n, uh, s], adjective
• una·cumi·nous 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

Leaning on his own fabled business acumen, the American premier has also demanded that his government receive a portion of any final sale price.

From TechCrunch

I’ve read casually over the years about the controversy over Noam Chomsky’s “universal grammar,” and was anxious to get Adger’s take, which he offered with easygoing acumen.

From Nautilus

The ballad cares that Mulan is a strong and brave warrior, but it doesn’t care enough about her acumen as a soldier to spend time enumerating her deeds.

From Vox

For more than 40 years, she has used her business acumen and passion for LGBTQ equality and acceptance to build two successful companies and contribute to landmark achievements nationally and internationally in the area of LGBTQ rights.

From Washington Blade

Those who occupy positions of power, despite their early acumen at a younger age, now seem to have completely lost their ability to understand others around them.

From Quartz

It was his business acumen, his own unflagging zeal for the creative business solution, that had freed Sam to do this.

From The Daily Beast

John Jenkins describes Miller as an “incisive witness both to scientific acumen and religious belief.”

From The Daily Beast

From Solyndra to HealthCare.gov, his tech-strategy acumen leaves a bit to be desired.

From The Daily Beast

Doug seems to have avoided any apparent use of drugs and was now applying his considerable business acumen to selling labels.

From The Daily Beast

They say a strong business acumen and entrepreneurial fire have always separated him from his peers.

From The Daily Beast

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

From Project Gutenberg

It did not seem at all likely that a man of Mr. Bidlake's experience and mental acumen could have been so deceived.

From Project Gutenberg

This intellectual subtlety, acumen, and logical power the Brahmans never lost.

From Project Gutenberg

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

From Project Gutenberg

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

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

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