Noun: perceptiveness pu(r)'sep-tiv-nus
- The quality of insight and sympathetic understanding
"The therapist's perceptiveness helped patients understand their own motivations"
- Delicate discrimination (especially of aesthetic values)
"arrogance and lack of perceptiveness contributed to his rapid success";
- taste, appreciation, discernment
- Perception of that which is obscure
"Her perceptiveness in choosing the right candidates for the job was remarkable";
- discernment
- A feeling of understanding
"Her perceptiveness allowed her to grasp complex concepts quickly";
- insight, perceptivity
See also: tasteful, tasteless, tasty [US, informal]
Type of: discrimination, perception, secernment, sensibility, sensitiveness, sensitivity
Antonym: unperceptiveness