The Merriam-Webster Word of the Day is sagacious. Read on for what it means, how it’s used, and more.

What It Means

Sagacious means “having or showing an ability to understand difficult ideas and situations and to make good decisions.” It implies being wise or discerning.

// Student reviews paint the writing professor as a sagacious mentor and a compassionate teacher.

SAGACIOUS in Context

“If depression crept in, she would phone her sagacious dad for advice….” — Tom Lanham, Spin, 8 Sept. 2021

Did You Know?

You might expect the root of sagaciousto be sage, which, as an adjective, means “wise” or, as a noun, “a wise person.” Despite similarities of spelling, sound, and sense, the two words are not closely related. Sagacious comes from sagire, a Latin verb meaning “to perceive keenly.” Etymologists believe that sage comes from a different Latin verb, sapere, which means “to taste,” “to have good taste,” or “to be wise.”