ISEE/SSAT Vocabulary BuilderWordsIincisive
ISEE/SSAThard
incisive
Meaning: clear, direct, and sharply analytical
incisive in a sentence
How incisive is used in real sentences:
Her incisive questions exposed the weakness in the proposed budget.
His incisive analysis clarified a dispute that had confused the committee for months.
“The debate shifted when reformer Eliza March delivered an incisive analysis of the electoral rolls.”
— from the passage Seven Votes at Dawn
“Gideon offered an arcane theory involving lunar tides and the brass gears in his workshop, but Mara redirected him with incisive questions about meals, water, and timing.”
— from the passage The Clockmaker's Fever
Synonyms for incisive
Other words for incisive — penetrating, perceptive and trenchant — carry the same meaning.
- penetrating
- perceptive
- trenchant
Antonyms of incisive
Words that mean the opposite of incisive:
- vague
- shallow
- muddled
Where it comes from
From Latin incidere, meaning 'to cut into.'
Memory hook
INCISIVE shares its root with INCISION: sharp thinking cuts to the point.