astute.

Quick to understand a situation and use that understanding effectively.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• astute observer
• astute judgment

On the page

Her astute reading of the room changed the negotiation.

Usage notes

Primary category: literary / elevated general. Forms: Comparative more astute; superlative most astute when comparison is meaningful. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Writing functions: character, description. Commonness: moderately common.