incisive
Americanadjective
adjective
-
keen, penetrating, or acute
-
biting or sarcastic; mordant
an incisive remark
-
having a sharp cutting edge
incisive teeth
Other Word Forms
- incisively adverb
- incisiveness noun
- unincisive adjective
- unincisively adverb
- unincisiveness noun
Etymology
Origin of incisive
From the Medieval Latin word incīsīvus, dating back to 1520–30. See incise, -ive
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.
Williams encouraged Inge to write, and Inge’s first major success, “Come Back, Little Sheba,” established his voice: naturalistic, elegiac, and psychologically incisive.
It’s hard to imagine anything similarly incisive or entertaining appearing in its pages today.
Approaching the story with a mix of dewy nostalgia and incisive clarity, the film earned Reiner the first of three nominations from the Directors Guild of America.
From Los Angeles Times
"The positive we can take is that we kept a clean sheet," Leipzig's Germany full-back David Raum told Sky Germany, adding that "we weren't incisive enough going forwards".
From Barron's
In this incisive, tragic account of the toll of war on the psychically wounded veteran, Salinger introduces Seymour Glass.
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.
