sagacious

[suh-gey-shuhs]

adjective

1. having or showing acute mental discernment and keen practical sense; shrewd.

   Socrates, that sagacious Greek philosopher, believed that the easiest way to learn was by asking questions.

   Synonyms: perspicacious, keen, sharp, acute, judicious, intelligent, clever, discerning, sage, wise
   Antonyms: unwise

2. Obsolete.,  having an acute sense of smell.

sagacious

/ səˈɡeɪʃəs /

adjective

1. having or showing sagacity; wise

2. obsolete,  (of hounds) having an acute sense of smell

Other Word Forms

• sagaciously adverb
• sagaciousness noun
• quasi-sagacious adjective
• quasi-sagaciously adverb
• supersagacious adjective
• supersagaciously adverb
• supersagaciousness noun
• unsagacious adjective
• unsagaciously adverb
• unsagaciousness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of sagacious¹

First recorded in 1600–10; sagaci(ty) + -ous

Word History and Origins

Origin of sagacious¹

C17: from Latin sagāx, from sāgīre to be astute

Example Sentences

“Even at an early age, Charlie showed sagacious negotiating ability, and usually gained a bigger specimen or one with unusual coloring,” Broggie wrote.

From Los Angeles Times

If they chose not to strengthen our current federal gun laws, then we would know they were not the sagacious, prescient, august and erudite intellects we've been taught to believe in.

From Salon

And not a sagacious orchestral adaptation of swing — as in Adams’s “City Noir” — but the genuine article.

From New York Times

It’s a touching and sagacious concept — though hardly one guaranteed to be an artistic success.

From New York Times

That Fonzic at times appears perfectly pleasant, even sagacious when he, for instance, invokes certain revisionist versions of American history, is a testament to Cluzet’s charms.

From New York Times