Meanings
adjectiveperceptive (comparative more perceptive, superlative most perceptive)
comparative more perceptive · superlative most perceptive
- Having or showing keenness or sharpness of perception, insight, understanding, or intuition.
He is so perceptive when it comes to other people's feelings.
Synonyms: percipient, poignant
nounperceptive (plural perceptives)
plural perceptives
- human sciencesA supposed organ of the brain, dealing with concrete observations of reality.
Then why not subdivide the reflectives and perceptives into distinct organs having special relations to external objects, as well as divide the intellect into a reflective and a perceptive portion?
1872, The Phrenological Journal and Life Illustrated, page 13
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveHaving or showing keenness or sharpness of perception, insight, understanding, or intuition.
Similar
More synonyms by meaning
adjectivehaving the ability to perceive or understand; keen in discernment
Opposite
Also see
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latinperceptīvus
- Englishperceptive
From Latin perceptīvus.
More words from Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek αἰσθητικός
- αἰσθητικός (aisthētikós)having or showing keenness of perception, insight, understanding, or intuition
Bulgarian възприемчив, схватлив
- възприемчив (văzpriemčiv)having or showing keenness of perception, insight, understanding, or intuition
- схватлив (shvatliv)having or showing keenness of perception, insight, understanding, or intuition
Catalan aperceptiu
- aperceptiuhaving or showing keenness of perception, insight, understanding, or intuition
Czech vnímavý
- vnímavýhaving or showing keenness of perception, insight, understanding, or intuition
Danish opmærksom, klarsynet
- opmærksomhaving or showing keenness of perception, insight, understanding, or intuition
- klarsynethaving or showing keenness of perception, insight, understanding, or intuition
Dutch opmerkzaam, scherpzinnig
- opmerkzaamhaving or showing keenness of perception, insight, understanding, or intuition
- scherpzinnighaving or showing keenness of perception, insight, understanding, or intuition
Esperanto akrasenta
- akrasentahaving or showing keenness of perception, insight, understanding, or intuition
Finnish havaintokykyinen, tarkkanäköinen
- havaintokykyinenhaving or showing keenness of perception, insight, understanding, or intuition
- tarkkanäköinenhaving or showing keenness of perception, insight, understanding, or intuition
- terävähaving or showing keenness of perception, insight, understanding, or intuition
French perspicace, pertinent
- perspicacehaving or showing keenness of perception, insight, understanding, or intuition
- pertinenthaving or showing keenness of perception, insight, understanding, or intuition
- perceptifhaving or showing keenness of perception, insight, understanding, or intuition
German scharfsinnig, einfühlsam
- scharfsinnighaving or showing keenness of perception, insight, understanding, or intuition
- einfühlsamhaving or showing keenness of perception, insight, understanding, or intuition
Greek οξυδερκής
- οξυδερκής (oxyderkís)having or showing keenness of perception, insight, understanding, or intuition
Hungarian értelmes, éles eszű
- értelmeshaving or showing keenness of perception, insight, understanding, or intuition
- éles eszűhaving or showing keenness of perception, insight, understanding, or intuition
- éles szeműhaving or showing keenness of perception, insight, understanding, or intuition
- jó szeműhaving or showing keenness of perception, insight, understanding, or intuition
- figyelmeshaving or showing keenness of perception, insight, understanding, or intuition
- jó felfogásúhaving or showing keenness of perception, insight, understanding, or intuition
- gyors felfogóképességűhaving or showing keenness of perception, insight, understanding, or intuition
- jó megfigyelőhaving or showing keenness of perception, insight, understanding, or intuition
- jó megfigyelőképességűhaving or showing keenness of perception, insight, understanding, or intuition
Irish airitheach, braiteach
- airitheachhaving or showing keenness of perception, insight, understanding, or intuition
- braiteachhaving or showing keenness of perception, insight, understanding, or intuition
- céadfachhaving or showing keenness of perception, insight, understanding, or intuition
- céadfaíochhaving or showing keenness of perception, insight, understanding, or intuition
- grinnhaving or showing keenness of perception, insight, understanding, or intuition
- léirsteanachhaving or showing keenness of perception, insight, understanding, or intuition
- mothaitheachhaving or showing keenness of perception, insight, understanding, or intuition
Italian perspicace, acuto
- perspicacehaving or showing keenness of perception, insight, understanding, or intuition
- acutohaving or showing keenness of perception, insight, understanding, or intuition
Latin sagāx, perceptīvus
- sagāxhaving or showing keenness of perception, insight, understanding, or intuition
- perceptīvushaving or showing keenness of perception, insight, understanding, or intuition
- perspicāxhaving or showing keenness of perception, insight, understanding, or intuition
Portuguese perspicaz, perceptivo
- perspicazhaving or showing keenness of perception, insight, understanding, or intuition
- perceptivohaving or showing keenness of perception, insight, understanding, or intuition
Romanian perspicace, perceptiv
- perspicacehaving or showing keenness of perception, insight, understanding, or intuition
- perceptivhaving or showing keenness of perception, insight, understanding, or intuition
Russian восприи́мчивый
- восприи́мчивый (vospriímčivyj)having or showing keenness of perception, insight, understanding, or intuition
Spanish perspicaz
- perspicazhaving or showing keenness of perception, insight, understanding, or intuition
Swedish insiktsfull, klarsynt
- insiktsfullhaving or showing keenness of perception, insight, understanding, or intuition
- klarsynthaving or showing keenness of perception, insight, understanding, or intuition
Tagalog watasin
- watasinhaving or showing keenness of perception, insight, understanding, or intuition
Turkish idrak sahibi
- idrak sahibihaving or showing keenness of perception, insight, understanding, or intuition
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with perceptive
All rhymes →Anagrams
Cite this entry
APA
perceptive. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/perceptive
MLA
“perceptive.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/perceptive. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “perceptive,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/perceptive.
Source: perceptive on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.