incisive

[in-sahy-siv] /ɪnˈsaɪ sɪv/
adjective
1.
penetrating; cutting; biting; trenchant:
an incisive tone of voice.
2.
remarkably clear and direct; sharp; keen; acute:
an incisive method of summarizing the issue.
3.
adapted for cutting or piercing.
4.
of or pertaining to the incisors:
the incisive teeth.
Origin
1520-30; < Medieval Latin incīsīvus. See incise, -ive
Related forms
incisively, adverb
incisiveness, noun
unincisive, adjective
unincisively, adverb
unincisiveness, noun
Synonyms
1. acid, mordant; sarcastic, sardonic.
Examples from the web for incisive
  • The incisive branch is continued onward within the bone, and supplies the canine and incisor teeth.
  • Below and medial to this foramen is the canine eminence separating the incisive from the canine fossa.
  • It arises from the incisive fossa of the mandible, and descends to be inserted into the integument of the chin.
  • He voiced his disagreements with me in incisive fashion.
  • Articulation proved incisive in fast movements influenced by the dance.
  • Time has not paled his incisive, brooding and anguished quasi-biography.
  • She also had an incisive mind, and in the midst of her despair she told me exactly how the company was going to fail.
  • Her language carves- and the instrument used is tonally blunt, laconic, as incisive as suits the purpose.
  • We need them to interpret our lives and let us see ourselves in an incisive and humorous light.
British Dictionary definitions for incisive

incisive

/ɪnˈsaɪsɪv/
adjective
1.
keen, penetrating, or acute
2.
biting or sarcastic; mordant: an incisive remark
3.
having a sharp cutting edge: incisive teeth
Derived Forms
incisively, adverb
incisiveness, noun
Word Origin and History for incisive
adj.

early 15c., inscisif, "slashing, cutting with a sharp edge," from Middle French incisif and directly from Medieval Latin incisivus, from Latin incis-, past participle stem of incidere (see incision). Originally literal; figurative sense of "mentally acute" first recorded 1850 as a borrowing from French. Related: Incisively; incisiveness.

incisive in Medicine

incisive in·ci·sive (ĭn-sī'sĭv)
adj.

  1. Having the power to cut.

  2. Relating to the incisor teeth.