incisive

incisive
    adj 1: having or demonstrating ability to recognize or draw fine
           distinctions; "an acute observer of politics and
           politicians"; "incisive comments"; "icy knifelike
           reasoning"; "as sharp and incisive as the stroke of a
           fang"; "penetrating insight"; "frequent penetrative
           observations" [syn: {acute}, {discriminating},
           {incisive}, {keen}, {knifelike}, {penetrating},
           {penetrative}, {piercing}, {sharp}]
    2: suitable for cutting or piercing; "incisive teeth"
    

Incisive \In*ci"sive\, a. [Cf. F. incisif.]
   [1913 Webster]
   1. Having the quality of incising, cutting, or penetrating,
      as with a sharp instrument; cutting; hence, sharp; acute;
      sarcastic; biting; trenchant. "An incisive, high voice."
      --G. Eliot.
      [1913 Webster]

            And her incisive smile accrediting
            That treason of false witness in my blush. --Mrs.
                                                  Browning.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. (Anat.) Of or pertaining to the incisors; incisor; as, the
      incisive bones, the premaxillaries.
      [1913 Webster]

   3. Clearly and succinctly stated, with penetrating insight
      into the issue at hand; as, an incisive comment.
      [PJC]
    

127 Moby Thesaurus words for "incisive":
      acerb, acerbate, acerbic, acid, acidic, acidulent, acidulous,
      acrid, acrimonious, active, acute, aggressive, animated,
      apperceptive, appercipient, argute, astringent, astute, biting,
      bitter, brisk, canny, caustic, clear-cut, cogent, corroding,
      corrosive, critical, cutting, cynical, discerning, double-edged,
      driving, dynamic, edged, effective, energetic, enterprising,
      enthusiastic, escharotic, farseeing, farsighted, fierce, forceful,
      forcible, foreseeing, foresighted, forethoughted, forethoughtful,
      full of pep, go-go, gutsy, harsh, hearty, imperative, impetuous,
      impressive, intense, ironical, keen, kinetic, lively, living,
      longheaded, longsighted, lusty, mettlesome, mordacious, mordant,
      nervous, penetrating, peppy, perceptive, percipient, perspicacious,
      perspicuous, piercing, poignant, powerful, provident, punchy,
      rigorous, robust, rough, sagacious, sarcastic, sardonic, scathing,
      scorching, sensational, severe, sharp, shrewd, sinewed, sinewy,
      slashing, smacking, snappy, spanking, spirited, stabbing, stinging,
      strenuous, strident, striking, stringent, strong, take-charge,
      take-over, tart, telling, terse, trenchant, understanding,
      vehement, vibrant, vigorous, violent, virulent, vital, vitriolic,
      vivacious, vivid, withering, zestful, zesty, zippy