Words / A / General

acumen

/ˈakjʊmən/

C1CEFR level
60/100Rarity: rare
NeutralRegister

General noun

The ability to make quick, keen and skilful judgements.

Her commercial acumen turned a failing workshop into a thriving atelier within two years.

Similar: shrewdness, astuteness, insight

Origin: From Latin acumen 'sharpness', from acuere 'to sharpen'.

Topic: expertise in General English

Business noun

Sharp practical judgement in a particular domain.

Her commercial acumen turned a loss-making division into the group's growth engine within two years.

Similar: shrewdness, astuteness, insight

Topic: Leadership & management in Business English

Rarity runs from 0 (a word everyone knows) to 100 (almost never seen outside specialist or literary writing). Level is the word's real difficulty on the CEFR scale, from A1 to C2.

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More general words: expertise