aperçu
Americannoun
plural
aperçus-
a hasty glance; a glimpse.
-
an immediate estimate or judgment; perception; insight.
-
an outline or summary.
noun
-
an outline; summary
-
an insight
Etymology
Origin of aperçu
First recorded in 1825–30; from French: literally, “perceived”; past participle of the verb apercevoir
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.
I guess we could fault Caleb for this aperçu, but in a novel that purports to be about the slippery idea of authorship, let’s blame Lipstein.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 18, 2022
“It’s an aperçu of Alex Trebek, human being. What is he like? What has he done? How did he screw up? Things like that.”
From Slate • Jul. 22, 2020
I held Johnson’s aperçu in mind while reading “Somebody With a Little Hammer.”
From New York Times • Apr. 4, 2017
If I were to recast Montaigne's aperçu it would be thus: "Mistrust a man who takes games too seriously; it means he may be incapable of taking life seriously enough."
From The Guardian • Sep. 24, 2010
The word aperçu my father used to object to.
From The Life and Letters of Maria Edgeworth, Volume 1 by Hare, Augustus J. C.
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.
