perceptiveness

Perceptiveness is the ability to appreciate something of good quality. It takes perceptiveness to tell the difference between a genuine Matisse oil painting and a well-done copy.

You use your perceptiveness to distinguish the flavor of a perfectly ripe peach from one that's not quite ready to be eaten, or to recognize a particularly well-written short story. You can also use the noun perceptiveness to mean a kind of understanding or comprehension — your perceptiveness can help you understand why a tired child is acting out. The Latin origin, also the root of perceive, is percipere, "obtain, gather, or seize," and also "to grasp with the mind."

Definitions of perceptiveness

1. noun

   perception of that which is obscure
   synonyms: discernment

   type of:

   perception

   knowledge gained by perceiving
2. noun

   delicate discrimination (especially of aesthetic values)
   synonyms: appreciation, discernment, taste

   types:

   connoisseurship, vertu, virtu

   love of or taste for fine objects of art

   style, trend, vogue

   the popular taste at a given time

   delicacy, discretion

   refined taste; tact

   culture

   the tastes in art and manners that are favored by a social group

   New Look

   a style of women's clothing created by Christian Dior in 1947; involved a tight bodice and narrow waist and a flowing pleated skirt

   fashion

   the latest and most admired style in clothes and cosmetics and behavior

   bandwagon

   a popular trend that attracts growing support

   counterculture

   a culture with lifestyles and values opposed to those of the established culture

   mass culture

   the culture that is widely disseminated via the mass media

   letters

   the literary culture

   pop culture, popular culture

   the art, media, and ideas preferred by ordinary people, rather than the educated elite

   type of:

   discrimination, secernment

   the cognitive process whereby two or more stimuli are distinguished
3. noun

   the quality of insight and sympathetic understanding
   antonyms:

   unperceptiveness

   the lack of insight and sympathetic understanding

   type of:

   sensitiveness, sensitivity

   the ability to respond to affective changes in your interpersonal environment
4. noun

   a feeling of understanding
   synonyms: insight, perceptivity

   type of:

   sensibility

   refined sensitivity to pleasurable or painful impressions