Nearby Words

astute

[uh-stoot, uh-styoot] Example Sentences Origin

as·tute

[uh-stoot, uh-styoot]
adjective
1.
of keen penetration or discernment; sagacious: an astute analysis.
2.
clever; cunning; ingenious; shrewd: an astute merchandising program; an astute manipulation of facts.

Origin:
1605–15; < Latin astūtus shrewd, sly, cunning, equivalent to astū- (stem of astus) cleverness + -tus adj. suffix

as·tute·ly, adverb
as·tute·ness, noun


1. smart, quick, perceptive. 2. artful, crafty, wily, sly.

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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Astute is an SAT word you need to know.
So is nebulous. Does it mean:
hazy, vague, indistinct, or confused; cloudy or cloudlike
not flowing or running, such as water or air; characterized by lack of development, advancement, or progressive movement
Example Sentences
  • Martin (an art collector himself) is an astute miniaturist as he exposes the sound and fury of the rarified Manhattan art world.
  • Personally, I found her astute summation that "the shiny guy always worries" to be particularly entertaining.
  • They were astute readers, and some were good writers.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
astute (əˈstjuːt)
 
adj
having insight or acumen; perceptive; shrewd
 
[C17: from Latin astūtus cunning, from astus (n) cleverness]
 
as'tutely
 
adv
 
as'tuteness
 
n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

astute
1610s, from L. astutus "crafty," from astus "cunning, cleverness, adroitness," of uncertain origin, perhaps from Gk. asty "town," a word borrowed into L. and with an overtone of "city sophistication." Related: Astuteness (1843).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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