perspicuous
adjective
Did you know?
Perspicuous is based on Latin perspicere, meaning "to see through," so that which is perspicuous is clear and understandable. Perspicuous has a close cousin, perspicacious, which is used of a person with astute insight. Both words come directly from Latin adjectives that mean the same thing they do: perspicuous from perspicuus, and perspicacious from perspicax. Needless to say, it's possible to confuse the two. One easy way to keep out of trouble is to think of perspicUous as the "U" word, and remember that it means "Understandable"—in contrast to the "A" word, perspicAcious, which means "Astute."
Synonyms
- apparent
- bald
- bald-faced
- barefaced
- bright-line
- broad
- clear
- clear-cut
- crystal clear
- decided
- distinct
- evident
- lucid
- luculent
- luminous
- manifest
- nonambiguous
- obvious
- open-and-shut
- palpable
- patent
- pellucid
- plain
- ringing
- straightforward
- transparent
- unambiguous
- unambivalent
- unequivocal
- unmistakable
Example Sentences
Washington Post, 11 Feb. 2022 Conditions in the state the planes left behind them were far less perspicuous. The Economist, 8 Feb. 2020 The president began his Monday by scrutinizing his national security briefing, filling its margins with perspicuous questions and observations. Eric Levitz, Daily Intelligencer, 10 July 2017 Unspoken but perspicuous is the wish to (at worst) score points off Democrats and (at best) free up a seat on the nation’s most important appeals court for a nominee from the Federalist Society weapons locker. Garrett Epps, The Atlantic, 12 May 2017 Word History
Latin perspicuus transparent, perspicuous, from perspicere
1570, in the meaning defined above
perspicuous
adjective
Synonyms & Similar Words
- obvious
- straightforward
- unmistakable
- apparent
- clear
- evident
- distinct
- lucid
- unambiguous
- plain
- transparent
- luminous
- simple
- unequivocal
- broad
- visible
- intelligible
- comprehensible
- pellucid
- manifest
- barefaced
- crystal clear
- patent
- palpable
- unambivalent
- understandable
- explicit
- open-and-shut
- decided
- bald
- clear-cut
- ringing
- luculent
- nonambiguous
- tangible
- knowable
- noticeable
- bald-faced
- digestible
- graspable
- comprehendible
- bright-line
- tidy
- uncomplicated
- sensible
- appreciable
- observable
- perceptible
- cognizable
- recognizable
- readable
- discernible
- undisguised
- fathomable
- self-evident
- self-explanatory
- legible
- overt
- trenchant
- decipherable
- clean-cut
- clean
- cognoscible
- well-defined
- discernable
- black-and-white
- fair
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- ambiguous
- indistinct
- equivocal
- obscure
- mysterious
- unclear
- enigmatic
- cryptic
- dark
- enigmatical
- unintelligible
- incomprehensible
- unknowable
- clouded
- unfathomable
- indecipherable
- unapparent
- subtle
- vague
- inappreciable
- imperceptible
- nonobvious
- impalpable
- insensible
- obfuscated
- imprecise
- unclarified
- indefinite
- gray
- grey
- indeterminate
- nebulous
- indiscernible
- slippery
- hazy
- sketchy
- cloudy
- murky
- illegible
- misty
- noncommittal
- unreadable
- gauzy
- undecipherable
Synonym Chooser
The words clear and lucid are common synonyms of perspicuous. While all three words mean "quickly and easily understood," perspicuous applies to a style that is simple and elegant as well as clear.
While the synonyms clear and perspicuous are close in meaning, clear implies freedom from obscurity, ambiguity, or undue complexity.
In some situations, the words lucid and perspicuous are roughly equivalent. However, lucid suggests a clear logical coherence and evident order of arrangement.