incisive
Americanadjective
adjective
-
keen, penetrating, or acute
-
biting or sarcastic; mordant
an incisive remark
-
having a sharp cutting edge
incisive teeth
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of incisive
From the Medieval Latin word incīsīvus, dating back to 1520–30. See incise, -ive
Explanation
The adjective incisive describes something that is sharp, decisive, and direct. A comment that cuts right to the bone can be just as incisive as an actual knife. The word incisive is rooted in a Latin word that literally means "to cut with a sharp edge." To help you remember the meaning, you can think of the similar word, incisors, which are the teeth that are sharp and cut and tear. The more figurative meaning of describing something that is mentally sharp first appeared in the 1850s. Keen criticism and cutting remarks have been called incisive ever since.
Vocabulary lists containing incisive
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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The New SAT: Words to Capture Tone
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The SAT: Words to Capture Tone, List 8
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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.
Motherwell were fighting back, knocking the ball around, playing their incisive passes, stretching Celtic, threatening their lead.
From BBC ● May 14, 2026
Epic novels like the 800-page “Anna Karenina” have fallen out of favor, replaced by short, incisive literature that mimics our digital lives.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 28, 2026
He led a performance here that was colorful and exciting in the cantata, lean and incisive in his underscore.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 24, 2026
Her writing has always been evocative and incisive, and her economical prose in this book possesses the same kind of rhythms she describes in the music, poetry, film or other art she illustrates.
From Salon ● Apr. 14, 2026
George, the child of Greek immigrants, was a man who combined a sympathetic nature with an incisive mind.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
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.
