Incisive

3 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  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]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  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}]

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  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