incisive
adjective
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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
Corey G. Johnson, ProPublica, 5 Feb. 2025
In truth, Wolves should have scored at least once in midweek and Bournemouth were far more direct and incisive, regularly slicing Newcastle apart (as illustrated below in The Athletic’s match dashboard graphic).
—Chris Waugh, The Athletic, 18 Jan. 2025
Her exclusive interview with Pennsylvania Senate candidate John Fetterman sparked a national conversation about health and transparency in politics, cementing her reputation as a tenacious, fair, and incisive journalist.
—Ted Johnson, Deadline, 11 Dec. 2024
Paranoia and recrimination abound from the fallout in Schrader’s incisive, gritty feature.
—Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 22 Jan. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Incisive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/incisive. Accessed 22 Feb. 2025.
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incisive
adjective
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incisive
adjective
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