incisive
penetrating; cutting; biting; trenchant: an incisive tone of voice.
remarkably clear and direct; sharp; keen; acute: an incisive method of summarizing the issue.
adapted for cutting or piercing.
of or relating to the incisors: the incisive teeth.
Origin of incisive
1Other words for incisive
Other words from incisive
- in·ci·sive·ly, adverb
- in·ci·sive·ness, noun
- un·in·ci·sive, adjective
- un·in·ci·sive·ly, adverb
- un·in·ci·sive·ness, noun
Words Nearby incisive
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use incisive in a sentence
The show works as well as it does because it’s richly observed, wittily scripted, brilliantly cast and subtly acted, with a sense of humor that’s both sophisticated and incisive in its skewering of academia’s particular brand of pretentiousness.
Netflix’s Sharp Satire The Chair Throws Sandra Oh Into the Politicized Powder Keg of Higher Ed | Judy Berman | August 19, 2021 | TimeThe two hosts approach it like stand-up comedians but the actual commercial and cultural analysis is sharp and incisive.
Pandemic playlists: Songs (and podcasts) that got us through coronavirus lockdown | Seb Joseph | July 26, 2021 | DigidayWhile he rallies late and fills the latter third with incisive insights about issues of race and gender and about Williams’s life in the public eye, his nonlinear writing often diffuses much of what originally made Williams so compelling.
Serena Williams is more than a tennis player. ‘Seeing Serena’ offers a prismatic view of her impact. | Stuart Miller | June 16, 2021 | Washington PostRegardless of its imperfections, Jenkins’ vision is still executed in a thoughtful, incisive way that will hopefully serve as a blueprint for more shows and films like it in the future.
How Barry Jenkins’ ‘The Underground Railroad’ Avoids the Trauma Porn of Slavery Movies Past | Kyndall Cunningham | May 14, 2021 | The Daily BeastIt won’t be as incisive as it might have been if it had been undertaken the first week of January 2020 and everything was on the table, but I still think it’s not too late.
Top researchers are calling for a real investigation into the origin of covid-19 | Rowan Jacobsen | May 13, 2021 | MIT Technology Review
It is a joy to watch Shafer seamlessly work incisive commentary on contemporary life into a fast-paced spine-chiller.
The Best Fiction of 2014: Ford, Ferrante, Klay, and More | William O’Connor | December 7, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTHis correspondence, much of which survives, is that of an incisive and articulate observer.
Stonewall Jackson, VMI’s Most Embattled Professor | S. C. Gwynne | November 29, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTEqually incisive were Danny Welbeck and Daniel Sturridge, and the three young Afro-Englishmen electrified the game.
John Jenkins describes Miller as an “incisive witness both to scientific acumen and religious belief.”
Meet the Prizewinning Catholic Biologist Creationists Can’t Stand | Karl W. Giberson | April 6, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTBut unlike Bloom and Eagleton, his books have been, while erudite and incisive, unashamedly populist.
John Sutherland‘s Enjoyable Little History of Literature | Malcolm Forbes | November 29, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTImmediately her own reassumed a harsh, proud set, her voice became even more incisive and cold.
Valley of the Croen | Lee TarbellHe has six incisive and two canine teeth in each jaw, without reckoning the grinders.
Buffon's Natural History. Volume IX (of 10) | Georges Louis Leclerc de BuffonHis speech was rather incisive, considering how little he had seen of Paul.
Paul Patoff | F. Marion CrawfordNext above him in age is the host; shrewd, brusque, incisive of speech and manner.
The Stones of Paris in History and Letters, Volume I (of 2) | Benjamin Ellis MartinThe little woman was so combative and incisive that this always seemed a necessary precaution on the part of that gentleman.
Sevenoaks | J. G. Holland
British Dictionary definitions for incisive
/ (ɪnˈsaɪsɪv) /
keen, penetrating, or acute
biting or sarcastic; mordant: an incisive remark
having a sharp cutting edge: incisive teeth
Derived forms of incisive
- incisively, adverb
- incisiveness, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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