Dictionary.com
definitions

perceptive

[per-sep-tiv]
||
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR perceptive ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

having or showing keenness of insight, understanding, or intuition: a perceptive analysis of the problems involved.
having the power or faculty of perceiving.
of, relating to, or showing perception.

RELATED CONTENT

brick wall
Read more in this article about some frequently asked questions and fun facts related to our definitions.
READ MORE
English Words From The Pharaohs
Most people recognize Ancient Greek and Latin as the primary donors to the English language. However, some of the most ancient words in English actually trace back to Ancient Egypt.
READ MORE

RELATED WORDS

eye, acumen, keenness, discrimination, insight, understanding, sagacity, wit, penetration, nose, shrewdness, perspicacity, astuteness, judgment, percipience

Origin of perceptive

1650–60; < Latin percept(us) (see percept) + -ive
Related formsper·cep·tive·ly, adverbper·cep·tiv·i·ty, per·cep·tive·ness, nounnon·per·cep·tive, adjectivenon·per·cep·tive·ly, adverbnon·per·cep·tive·ness, nounnon·per·cep·tiv·i·ty, nounself-per·cep·tive, adjectivesem·i·per·cep·tive, adjectiveun·per·cep·tive, adjectiveun·per·cep·tive·ly, adverb
Can be confusedperceptible perceptive

Synonyms for perceptive

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR perceptive ON THESAURUS.COM
1. discerning, sensitive, keen, astute.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for perceptiveness

Historical Examples of perceptiveness

  • He told, too, a good story, which shows the perceptiveness of Indians.

  • Bully Rawson, with all his faults, had the saving grace of perceptiveness, wherefore the bright idea remained unpropounded.

  • All this is not Japanese, but from such accident is Japanese art inspired, with its good luck of perceptiveness.

    The Colour of Life

    Alice Meynell

British Dictionary definitions for perceptiveness

perceptive

adjective

quick at perceiving; observant
perceptual
able to perceive
Derived Formsperceptively, adverbperceptiveness or perceptivity, 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 perceptiveness

perceptive

adj.

1650s, from Latin percept-, past participle stem of percipere (see perceive) + -ive. In reference to intelligence from 1860. From mid-15c. as the name of a type of optical instrument. Related: Perceptively; perceptiveness.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Medicine definitions for perceptiveness

perceptive

[pər-sĕp′tĭv]

adj.

Of or relating to perception.
Having the ability to perceive.
Keenly discerning.
Related formsper′cep•tiv′i•ty (pûr′sĕp-tĭv′ĭ-tē) n.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.