different between astute vs perspicacious

English

Etymology

Latin ast?tus, from astus (“craft”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?s?tju?t/
• Rhymes: -u?t

Adjective

astute (comparative astuter, superlative astutest)

1. Quickly and critically discerning.
2. Shrewd or crafty.
   • 2014, A teacher, "Choosing a primary school: a teacher's guide for parents", The Guardian, 23 September 2014:

     The best headteachers are like submarine captains – cool-headed, astute decision-makers – who trust their colleagues and surroundings to indicate where their ship is headed.

Synonyms

• crafty, shrewd, wily

Derived terms

• astutely
• astuteness

Translations

Anagrams

• statue

Estonian

Verb

astute

1. Second-person plural present form of astuma.

Italian

Adjective

astute

1. feminine plural of astuto

Anagrams

• statue

Latin

Adverb

ast?t? (comparative ast?tius, superlative ast?tissim?)

1. craftily, cunningly

References

• astute in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• astute in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• astute in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré Latin-Français, Hachette

English

Etymology

First attested 1548, from Late Latin perspic?cit?s (“discernment”), from Latin perspicax (“sharp-sighted”), from perspici? (“look through”), from per- (“through”) + speci? (“look at”). See also perspective.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?p??.sp??ke?.??s/
• (US) enPR: pûr'sp?·k?'sh?s, IPA^(key): /?p???.sp??ke?.??s/
• Rhymes: -e???s
• Hyphenation: per?spi?ca?cious

Adjective

perspicacious (comparative more perspicacious, superlative most perspicacious)

1. (figuratively) Of acute discernment; having keen insight; mentally perceptive.
2. (obsolete) Able to physically see clearly; quick-sighted; sharp-sighted.

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

See also

• clairvoyant
• conspicuous
• perspective