perceptive

adjective
per·​cep·​tive | \ pər-ˈsep-tiv How to pronounce perceptive (audio) \

Definition of perceptive

1 : responsive to sensory stimuli : discerning a perceptive eye
2a : capable of or exhibiting keen perception : observant a perceptive scholar
b : characterized by sympathetic understanding or insight

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Other Words from perceptive

perceptively adverb
perceptiveness noun
perceptivity \ (ˌ)pər-​ˌsep-​ˈti-​və-​tē How to pronounce perceptivity (audio) \ noun

Synonyms for perceptive

Synonyms

acute, delicate, fine, keen, quick, sensitive, sharp

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Examples of perceptive in a Sentence

He is a very perceptive young man. due to their ability to rotate their ears, cats are very perceptive when it comes to pinpointing the source of a sound

Recent Examples on the Web

But isn’t the world of hospitality known for training people how to be perceptive? Fortune, "What I Learned in Inclusion Training at the World’s Top Cocktail Festival," 10 Aug. 2019 Use perceptive tactics to handle the household budget and to plan for family needs. Tribune Content Agency, oregonlive.com, "Horoscope for July 13, 2019: Gemini, review your budget and bills; Scorpio, release what’s not needed," 13 July 2019 Of the children on Big Little Lies, Chloe (Darby Camp) has always been one of the more perceptive ones. Shirley Li, The Atlantic, "Big Little Lies Explores the Consequences of Parents’ Actions," 8 July 2019 Jon was very perceptive and very much wanted her to be her own person, not just waiting for Spidey to come and do whatever Spidey needed to do. Leah Greenblatt, EW.com, "Spider-Man: Far From Home stars Zendaya and Tom Holland are 'very competitive' with each other," 2 July 2019 To a perceptive observer, these changes have been apparent since the mid 20th century. Mary Spencer, National Review, "What Joan Didion Saw," 29 June 2019 One perceptive Italian remarked that the world needs an America that’s economically and militarily strong. Karl Rove, WSJ, "Can Trump and Europe Cut a Deal?," 4 July 2018 Instead of producing the kind of playful and seemingly vaguely perceptive advice known to bring a smile to people’s faces, Reben’s technology turned dark – and undeniably weird. Peter Holley, The Seattle Times, "Roboticist trains AI to tell people their fortunes," 16 Oct. 2018 Nickolas Butler takes a closer look at that dynamic in his tender and perceptive... Sam Sacks, WSJ, "Fiction: Faith and Family, Midwestern-Style," 1 Mar. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'perceptive.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of perceptive

1652, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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More Definitions for perceptive

perceptive

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of perceptive

: having or showing an ability to understand or notice something easily or quickly

perceptive

adjective
per·​cep·​tive | \ pər-ˈsep-tiv How to pronounce perceptive (audio) \

Medical Definition of perceptive

: responsive to sensory stimulus a perceptive eye

Other Words from perceptive

perceptively adverb
perceptiveness noun
perceptivity \ (ˌ)pər-​ˌsep-​ˈtiv-​ət-​ē How to pronounce perceptivity (audio) \ noun, plural perceptivities

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