incisive
adjective
Did you know?
Incisive has meant "impressively direct and decisive" since around 1834 and derives from the Latin verb caedere, meaning "to cut." Its linguistic kin include many cuttings from the fruitful stem caedere, such as scissors, chisel, incise ("to cut into or engrave"), excise ("to remove by cutting"), incisor ("a front tooth typically adapted for cutting"), incision ("cut" or "gash"), precise ("minutely exact"), and concise ("brief"). Incisive also carries a couple of lesser-known literal meanings relating to cutting: "having a cutting edge or piercing point" (as in "incisive fangs"), and, in dentistry, "of, relating to, or situated near the incisors."
Examples of incisive in a Sentence
Marley Marius, Vogue, 8 Jan. 2025
Shyam Benegal, a pivotal figure in Indian cinema known for his incisive and socially conscious storytelling, died on Monday in Mumbai following a chronic kidney ailment, his daughter confirmed to India Today.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 23 Dec. 2024
Then came a March 2022 cover story for Vanity Fair that was at once horrifically incisive yet brutally dismissive in regards to Grimes' famous partner.
—Alexandra Bregman, Forbes, 1 Dec. 2024
Or does good horror comedy go full meta, poking fun at the tropes while sneaking in incisive cultural commentary?
—Ars Technica, 31 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for incisive 
Articles Related to incisive
Dictionary Entries Near incisive
Cite this Entry
“Incisive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/incisive. Accessed 23 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
incisive
adjective
Medical Definition
incisive
adjective
Share