perceptive
Americanadjective
-
having or showing keenness of insight, understanding, or intuition.
a perceptive analysis of the problems involved.
- Synonyms:
- astute, keen, sensitive, discerning
-
having the power or faculty of perceiving.
-
of, relating to, or showing perception.
adjective
-
quick at perceiving; observant
-
perceptual
-
able to perceive
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of perceptive
Explanation
If someone calls you perceptive, they mean you are good at understanding things or figuring things out. Perceptive people are insightful, intelligent, and able to see what others cannot. Perceive means "to see"; so, perceptive is a word to describe someone who is good at seeing. Perceptive is derived from the Latin word percipere which means "to obtain or gather." A perceptive person is good at gathering information and using her senses to take in the world. If you are upset but trying to hide it, a perceptive person is the one who will notice.
Vocabulary lists containing perceptive
ACT Reading Test: Words to Capture Tone, List 1
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The SAT: Words to Capture Tone, List 5
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The New SAT: Words to Capture Tone
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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.
Her essential judgments on persons and events, as quoted, make her look wise and perceptive, which is her general reputation, but she was also indiscreet.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 18, 2025
Twelve months on, their visit brought more words of caution from Amorim about his side's evolution that proved equally perceptive.
From BBC ● Nov. 24, 2025
There, in the confines of its pages, Nora recognizes that her father has a much more innate and perceptive knowledge of her that neither of them ever could’ve imagined.
From Salon ● Nov. 23, 2025
For elements that they share, both two very intelligent, bright, sharp, perceptive people who seemingly have gone through similar trauma in their own lives, they are different.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 13, 2025
She asked him “several very perceptive questions” about the Rusakov field and its relation to human consciousness.
From "The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage" by Philip Pullman
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.
