Describing Intelligence: English Vocabulary List

quick to understand and judge people, things, and situations accurately

"She is perspicacious."

"The perspicacious detective noticed a tiny clue that everyone else had missed and that discovery led him to solve the mystery."

possessing wisdom, sound judgment, or prudence

"The old man is a sage advisor."

"The sage old man gave me excellent advice about my future career."

possessing practical knowledge, expertise, or understanding in a particular domain

"She is savvy about social media."

"She is very savvy about social media and online marketing strategies."

having or showing good judgement, especially in business or politics

"He is a shrewd businessman."

"The shrewd businessman made a lot of money by investing in technology stocks."

characterized by wisdom, fairness, or sound reasoning

"The judge made a solomonic decision."

"The judge made a solomonic decision that made both parents happy with the result."

adept at swift, effective decision-making or response in fast-paced scenarios

"The quick-thinking driver avoided the accident."

"The quick thinking driver avoided the accident by slamming on his brakes immediately."

very smart

"My brother is very brainy."

"My brainy sister solved the difficult math problem in just a few minutes easily."

characterized by extreme foolishness, lack of intelligence, or absurdity

"That was a moronic comment."

"His moronic comment made everyone in the room feel embarrassed for him."

lacking in intelligence, substance, or meaningful content

"He gave a vacuous stare."

"The vacuous reality show had no educational value but it was still entertaining to watch."

lacking knowledge, awareness, or understanding

"I am nescient about that topic."

"I am completely nescient about quantum physics because I never studied it in school."

characterized by a lack of intelligence, poor judgment, or foolishness

"That was a boneheaded mistake."

"That was a boneheaded mistake and now we have to start the whole project again."

clueless or showing a lack of awareness or understanding

"He has a gormless expression."

"The gormless expression on his face showed that he had no idea what was happening."

having a tendency to be forgetful, disorganized, or easily distracted

"My scatterbrained friend forgot her keys again."

"My scatterbrained friend forgot her keys three times this week and locked herself out again."

showing the ability to anticipate and plan for the future

"The farsighted leader planned for the future."

"The farsighted leader made plans that would benefit the country for many generations to come."