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Synonyms

percipient

American  
[per-sip-ee-uhnt] / pərˈsɪp i ənt /

adjective

  1. perceiving or capable of perceiving.

  2. having perception; discerning; discriminating.

    a percipient choice of wines.


noun

  1. a person or thing that perceives.

percipient British  
/ pəˈsɪpɪənt /

adjective

  1. able to perceive

  2. perceptive

"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

noun

  1. a person or thing that perceives

"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

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of percipient

1655–65; < Latin percipient- (stem of percipiēns ) present participle of percipere to take in, equivalent to per- per- + -cipi- combining form of present stem of capere to take + -ent- -ent

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.

See Examples For:

As I’ve written in the past, Rakoff is one of our most percipient jurists about the impact of new technologies on the law.

From Los Angeles Times Mar. 6, 2026

That drew a horselaugh from veteran investor Jim Chanos, whose experience as a short-seller has given him a uniquely percipient feel for Wall Street foibles.

From Los Angeles Times Mar. 12, 2023

It’s fun wordplay with a percipient message, but fans might be further impressed to know she wrote and recorded the song extemporaneously in a single take, sitting in a studio chair while eight months pregnant.

From Washington Post Jan. 18, 2023

To offset that, I'm reading Inside Lives: Psychoanalysis and the Growth of the Personality by Margot Waddell, which is beautifully written, humane, clear and full of percipient literary references.

From The Guardian Jul. 20, 2012

Asked, which way is it held, percipient replied, “The right way.”

From Telepathy and the Subliminal Self by Mason, R. Osgood

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