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
Marcus K. Dowling, The Tennessean, 2 July 2025
These incisive personal essays perfectly probe our present political moment.
—Carly Tagen-Dye, People.com, 29 June 2025
Al Hilal’s first open-play goal of the tournament was timely and deserved after a bright start powered by intense man-to-man pressing and incisive passing, but their aggression – or perhaps simply their energy – tailed off sharply after taking the lead.
—Liam Twomey, New York Times, 27 June 2025
Eldest daughter Nancy wrote incisive comic and romantic novels about her social set—as well as a sendup of fascism, Wigs on the Green.
—Judy Berman, Time, 27 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for incisive
Cite this Entry
“Incisive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/incisive. Accessed 19 Jul. 2025.
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incisive
adjective
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incisive
adjective
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