Sagacious

adjective

/səˈɡeɪʃəs/

Having or showing keen, far-sighted discernment and sound judgement; able to grasp difficult situations and make wise, prudent decisions.

✍️ Usage in a UPSC answer

A sagacious administrator anticipates the second-order consequences of a welfare scheme, calibrating it to the fiscal capacity of the exchequer rather than yielding to the immediate temptation of populist largesse.

Synonyms

shrewddiscerningjudiciousperspicaciousastutesage

Antonyms

foolishobtuseimprudentinjudicious

🌱 Word Family

sagacity (n), sagaciously (adv), sagaciousness (n), sage (adj/n)

🔡 Root

Latin sagax / sagac- = wise, keen-perceiving (from sagire = to perceive keenly); -ious = adjectival suffix

📜 Etymology

Early 17th century, from Latin sagax, sagac- 'wise, keen-perceiving' (related to sagire 'to perceive keenly') + the English suffix -ious.

🧠 Memory Hook

Think of a SAGE who is graCIOUS with advice: a "sage-acious" person dispenses keen, wise judgement. (Root: Latin sagire, "to perceive keenly" - the sagacious mind sniffs out the truth.)

🏛️ Governance 📖 Seen in: Governance, Transparency & Accountabil...

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