astute
/əˈstjuːt
/adjective
Having or showing an ability to accurately assess situations or people and turn this to one’s advantage: an astute businessman...
- He is said to be acutely focused and astute in assessing what he should and should not buy.
- I regard him as an astute businessman who is very conscious of the value of capital.
- Our leader is intelligent and astute, as we have seen with her handling of Iraq.
Synonyms
shrewd, sharp, sharp-witted, razor-sharp, acute, quick, quick-witted, ingenious, clever, intelligent, bright, brilliant, smart, canny, media-savvy, intuitive, discerning, perceptive, perspicacious, penetrating, insightful, incisive, piercing, discriminating, sagacious, wise, judicious;
cunning, artful, crafty, wily, calculating
informal on the ball, quick off the mark, quick on the uptake, brainy, streetwise, savvy
British informal suss
Scottish & Northern English informal pawky
North American informal heads-up, whip-smart
dated, informal long-headed
rare argute, sapient
Derivatives
astuteness
/ noun ...- He is known far and wide, not for his intellectual astuteness or classroom achievements, but for his ability to energize campus social life.
- An increasingly educated electorate can spot bias with greater acumen and astuteness than ever before.
- I want to thank Brian Gelling for his foresight and astuteness in handling the negotiations.
Origin
Early 17th century: from obsolete French astut or Latin astutus, from astus 'craft'.
This is from obsolete French astut or Latin astutus, from astus ‘craft’.