Perceptive — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

adjective /pər-ˈsep-tiv/ per·cep·tive

Meaning & Definition of Perceptive

Perceptive (adjective)

  1. responsive to sensory stimuli, discerning
  2. capable of or exhibiting keen perception, observant
  3. characterized by sympathetic understanding or insight

Perceptive (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. able to sense slight impressions or differences

    "due to their ability to rotate their ears, cats are very perceptive when it comes to pinpointing the source of a sound"

    similar: acute, delicate, fine, keen, quick, sensitive, sharp
    related: accurate, clear, discerning, good, piercing, precise, receptive, sensible, subtle, hair-trigger, hyperacute, hypersensitive, oversensitive, supersensitive
    near: bad, deadened, dimmed, dull, dulled, fading, dead, imperceptive, insensible, insensitive, numb, imprecise, inaccurate

  2. having or showing deep understanding and intelligent application of knowledge

    "a perceptive therapist was able to discover what was really troubling the youth"

    similar: discerning, insightful, prudent, sagacious, sage, sapient, wise
    related: acute, penetrating, percipient, perspicacious, experienced, discriminating, discriminative, brainy, bright, brilliant, clever, intelligent, keen, nimble, quick, quick-witted, smart, cerebral, erudite, knowledgeable, learned, literate, scholarly, astute, clearheaded, piercing, sharp, shrewd, contemplative, reflective, thoughtful
    opposite: unperceptive, unwise
    near: dense, dull, obtuse, purblind, woodenheaded, brainless, dumb, feebleminded, foolish, idiotic, imbecile, knuckleheaded, moronic, silly, simple, slow, slow-witted, stupid, thoughtless, unintelligent, witless, undiscriminating

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Perceptive

The most common words with a similar meaning to Perceptive:

acute, delicate, fine, keen, quick, sensitive, sharp, discerning, insightful, prudent, sagacious, sage, sapient, wise

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Perceptive

Words with the opposite meaning of Perceptive:

unperceptive, unwise

Related Words for Perceptive

accurate, clear, good, piercing, precise, receptive, sensible, subtle, hair-trigger, hyperacute, hypersensitive, oversensitive, supersensitive, penetrating, percipient, perspicacious, experienced, discriminating, discriminative, brainy, bright, brilliant, clever, intelligent, nimble, quick-witted, smart, cerebral, erudite, knowledgeable

Near Antonyms of Perceptive

bad, deadened, dimmed, dull, dulled, fading, dead, imperceptive, insensible, insensitive, numb, imprecise, inaccurate, dense, obtuse, purblind, woodenheaded, brainless, dumb, feebleminded, foolish, idiotic, imbecile, knuckleheaded, moronic, silly, simple, slow, slow-witted, stupid

Word Forms of Perceptive

Derived words: perceptively (adverb), perceptiveness (noun), perceptivity (noun)

Origin & Etymology of Perceptive

First known use: 1652

Frequently Asked Questions about Perceptive

What does "Perceptive" mean?

"Perceptive" means responsive to sensory stimuli, discerning. As an adjective, it is defined as: responsive to sensory stimuli, discerning. It has 2 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Perceptive"?

Other words for "Perceptive" include acute, delicate, fine, keen, quick, sensitive, sharp and discerning. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Perceptive" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Perceptive"?

There are 53 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Perceptive". Common alternatives include acute, delicate, fine, keen, quick, sensitive, sharp, discerning, insightful and prudent.

What is the opposite of "Perceptive"?

Antonyms of "Perceptive" include unperceptive and unwise. Near antonyms include bad, deadened, dimmed and dull.

How do you use "Perceptive" in a sentence?

Examples of "Perceptive" in a sentence: "due to their ability to rotate their ears, cats are very perceptive when it comes to pinpointing the source of a sound"; "a perceptive therapist was able to discover what was really troubling the youth".

Is "Perceptive" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Perceptive" is an adjective.

How do you pronounce "Perceptive"?

"Perceptive" is pronounced /pər-ˈsep-tiv/ and divided into syllables as per·cep·tive.

What is the origin of the word "Perceptive"?

First known use: 1652.