perspicuous

adjective

pər-ˈspi-kyə-wəs How to pronounce perspicuous (audio)
Definition of perspicuousnext
as in obvious
not subject to misinterpretation or more than one interpretation believing that poetry need not be as perspicuous as prose, he writes poems that are intentionally ambiguous

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective perspicuous differ from other similar words?

The words clear and lucid are common synonyms of perspicuous. While all three words mean "quickly and easily understood," perspicuous applies to a style that is simple and elegant as well as clear.

a perspicuous style

When is clear a more appropriate choice than perspicuous?

While the synonyms clear and perspicuous are close in meaning, clear implies freedom from obscurity, ambiguity, or undue complexity.

clear instructions

When might lucid be a better fit than perspicuous?

In some situations, the words lucid and perspicuous are roughly equivalent. However, lucid suggests a clear logical coherence and evident order of arrangement.

a lucid explanation

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of perspicuous But where Hofstadter is playfully enigmatic and brashly brainy, Chalmers’s writing is perspicuous and teacherly — an approach that keeps it from collapsing into recalcitrant obscurity. — Washington Post, 11 Feb. 2022 Conditions in the state the planes left behind them were far less perspicuous. — The Economist, 8 Feb. 2020 The president began his Monday by scrutinizing his national security briefing, filling its margins with perspicuous questions and observations. — Eric Levitz, Daily Intelligencer, 10 July 2017 Unspoken but perspicuous is the wish to (at worst) score points off Democrats and (at best) free up a seat on the nation’s most important appeals court for a nominee from the Federalist Society weapons locker. — Garrett Epps, The Atlantic, 12 May 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for perspicuous
  1. obvious
  2. unmistakable
  3. apparent
  4. evident
  5. straightforward
  6. clear
  7. distinct
Adjective
  • Many players have obvious economic incentives to seek to extend their collegiate careers for as long as possible.
    — Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 13 Oct. 2026
  • The press release probably didn’t need to also say the company imbued it with distinctive character or charm; that’s quite obvious from the design.
    — Jonathan M. Gitlin, ArsTechnica, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of obvious
Adjective
  • Down the block, Curtis walked around his neighborhood with the unmistakable countenance of someone who had just survived a disaster.
    — Alicia Victoria Lozano, NBC news, 17 Oct. 2026
  • The brass, the percussion, the unmistakable sound of banda, all carrying a piece of home.
    — Luzdelia Caballero, CBS News, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of unmistakable
Adjective
  • The Trying star is leading The Death of Sherlock Holmes, which fills the gap between the detective’s apparent death at the Reichenbach Falls in 1891 and his reappearance in The Adventure of the Empty House three years later.
    — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Investigators with the city of Douglas, Georgia have released the identities of the five adults killed in an apparent murder-suicide last week.
    — Dan Raby, CBS News, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of apparent
Adjective
  • The brasserie has Provençal leanings evident in a few of the menu’s flourishes—crisp triangular panisses with a garlicky aioli, a pinky-peach sauce algérienne for dipping your fries.
    — Helen Rosner, New Yorker, 18 Oct. 2026
  • And something more substantial, even, than the ongoing oddity of just where Washington Square Park fits into the scheme of things as it’s gone from an evident linchpin of the project to an apparent afterthought.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of evident
Adjective
  • The resulting songs are refreshingly straightforward, and self-aware about it.
    — Samuel Hyland, Pitchfork, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Giving Americans $1,000 or $5,000 invested in a technology index is a straightforward idea; The source and use of the funds will likely be of great debate.
    — Sarah Cannon, Fortune, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of straightforward
Adjective
  • That experience is backed up by research and investigations in various states, which make clear that voting by noncitizens is extremely rare.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 18 Oct. 2026
  • Unequivocally condemn these acts of violence and issue a clear appeal for every mobilization to be peaceful.
    — Tyler Speicher, FOXNews.com, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of clear
Adjective
  • Coleman said each design has its own distinct character and can be styled individually, either as a subtle everyday detail or a sculptural statement.
    — Tianwei Zhang, Footwear News, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Scientists have performed cosmic genealogy on planetary systems in the Milky Way, finding two distinct families that influence the evolution and fate of these systems.
    — Robert Lea, Space.com, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of distinct

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Cite this Entry

“Perspicuous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/perspicuous. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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