French Conversation · Level 161
29 words
French word
perspicacité
Pronunciation
IPA/pɛʁspikasite/
Meaning
- feminine nounperceptiveness
Example
Sa perspicacité nous a aidés à trouver la solution.
His perceptiveness helped us find the solution.
More examples
Les conseils du mentor reflétaient sa perspicacité pratique.
The mentor's advice reflected his practical insight.
Core concept
A clear-sighted mind notices the decisive clue beneath surface details.
Common phrases
développer sa perspicacité
develop one's insight
cultiver la perspicacité
cultivate one's insight
Similar words
bon sens: Sound, practical judgment grounded in everyday experience.
intuition: An instinctive sense of the likely answer or best course of action.
jugement: The ability to reach a sound decision by considering the whole situation.
Definition in French
Aptitude à percevoir rapidement les éléments cachés ou importants d'une situation ou d'une personne.
Word origin
The French noun perspicacité comes from Latin perspicacitas, from perspicax, meaning clear-sighted, and is linked to perspicere, meaning to look through.
Usage tips
- The usual construction is faire preuve de perspicacité, meaning to show perspicacité.
Other meanings
- discernmentnoun
- insightnoun
Opposites
- superficialitésuperficialitynoun
Related words
- perspicaceinsightfuladjective