definitions

incisive

[ in-sahy-siv ]
/ ɪnˈsaɪ sɪv /
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR incisive ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

penetrating; cutting; biting; trenchant: an incisive tone of voice.
remarkably clear and direct; sharp; keen; acute: an incisive method of summarizing the issue.
adapted for cutting or piercing.
of or relating to the incisors: the incisive teeth.

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RELATED WORDS

trenchant, penetrating, piercing, concise, scathing, acerbic, sardonic, satirical, succinct, caustic, biting, mordant, terse, acute, bright, clever, keen, perspicacious, profound, sharp

Nearby words

incised wound, incisiform, incision, incision biopsy, incisional hernia, incisive, incisive bone, incisive canal, incisive foramen, incisive fossa, incisive papilla

Origin of incisive

From the Medieval Latin word incīsīvus, dating back to 1520–30. See incise, -ive
Related forms
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for incisive

British Dictionary definitions for incisive

incisive

/ (ɪnˈsaɪsɪv) /

adjective

keen, penetrating, or acute
biting or sarcastic; mordantan incisive remark
having a sharp cutting edgeincisive teeth
Derived Formsincisively, adverbincisiveness, noun
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

Word Origin and History for incisive

incisive

adj.

early 15c., inscisif, "slashing, cutting with a sharp edge," from Middle French incisif and directly from Medieval Latin incisivus, from Latin incis-, past participle stem of incidere (see incision). Originally literal; figurative sense of "mentally acute" first recorded 1850 as a borrowing from French. Related: Incisively; incisiveness.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper

Medicine definitions for incisive

incisive

[ ĭn-sī′sĭv ]

adj.

Having the power to cut.
Relating to the incisor teeth.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.