Incisive \In*ci"sive\, a. [Cf. F. incisif.]
[1913 Webster]
1. Having the quality of incising, cutting, or penetrating,
as with a sharp instrument; cutting; hence, sharp; acute;
sarcastic; biting; trenchant. "An incisive, high voice."
--G. Eliot.
[1913 Webster]
And her incisive smile accrediting
That treason of false witness in my blush. --Mrs.
Browning.
[1913 Webster]
2. (Anat.) Of or pertaining to the incisors; incisor; as, the
incisive bones, the premaxillaries.
[1913 Webster]
3. Clearly and succinctly stated, with penetrating insight
into the issue at hand; as, an incisive comment.
[PJC]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
incisive
adj 1: having or demonstrating ability to recognize or draw fine
distinctions; "an acute observer of politics and
politicians"; "incisive comments"; "icy knifelike
reasoning"; "as sharp and incisive as the stroke of a
fang"; "penetrating insight"; "frequent penetrative
observations" [syn: acute, discriminating, keen,
knifelike, penetrating, penetrative, piercing,
sharp]
2: very penetrating and clear and sharp in operation; "an
incisive mind"; "a keen intelligence"; "of sharp and
active intellect" [syn: keen, sharp]
3: suitable for cutting or piercing; "incisive teeth"; "the
piercing needle" [syn: piercing]
WordNet (r) 2.0
127 Moby Thesaurus words for "incisive":
acerb, acerbate, acerbic, acid, acidic, acidulent, acidulous,
acrid, acrimonious, active, acute, aggressive, animated,
apperceptive, appercipient, argute, astringent, astute, biting,
bitter, brisk, canny, caustic, clear-cut, cogent, corroding,
corrosive, critical, cutting, cynical, discerning, double-edged,
driving, dynamic, edged, effective, energetic, enterprising,
enthusiastic, escharotic, farseeing, farsighted, fierce, forceful,
forcible, foreseeing, foresighted, forethoughted, forethoughtful,
full of pep, go-go, gutsy, harsh, hearty, imperative, impetuous,
impressive, intense, ironical, keen, kinetic, lively, living,
longheaded, longsighted, lusty, mettlesome, mordacious, mordant,
nervous, penetrating, peppy, perceptive, percipient, perspicacious,
perspicuous, piercing, poignant, powerful, provident, punchy,
rigorous, robust, rough, sagacious, sarcastic, sardonic, scathing,
scorching, sensational, severe, sharp, shrewd, sinewed, sinewy,
slashing, smacking, snappy, spanking, spirited, stabbing, stinging,
strenuous, strident, striking, stringent, strong, take-charge,
take-over, tart, telling, terse, trenchant, understanding,
vehement, vibrant, vigorous, violent, virulent, vital, vitriolic,
vivacious, vivid, withering, zestful, zesty, zippy
Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0
acute, discriminating, keen, knifelike, penetrating, penetrative, piercing, sharp
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