aperçu

[ a-per-sy ]

noun

, French.

, plural a·per·çus [a, -pe, r, -, sy].

1. a hasty glance; a glimpse.
2. an immediate estimate or judgment; perception; insight.
3. an outline or summary.

aperçu

/ apɛrsy /

noun

1. an outline; summary
2. an insight

Word History and Origins

Origin of aperçu¹

First recorded in 1825–30; from French: literally, “perceived”; past participle of the verb apercevoir

Word History and Origins

Origin of aperçu¹

from apercevoir to perceive

Example Sentences

One such aperçu involved his interrogation of the phrase “unapologetically Black,” with him saying, “I am not unapologetically anything, because when I say that I have already apologized.”

From New York Times

Certainly there are plenty of suspects behaving badly, chief among them Carlo herself, a freelance snark machine with a hole in her heart and an alcohol-fueled taste for the piercing aperçu.

From New York Times

I guess we could fault Caleb for this aperçu, but in a novel that purports to be about the slippery idea of authorship, let’s blame Lipstein.

From Los Angeles Times

“It’s an aperçu of Alex Trebek, human being. What is he like? What has he done? How did he screw up? Things like that.”

From Washington Post

“It’s an aperçu of Alex Trebek, human being. What is he like? What has he done? How did he screw up? Things like that.”

From Slate

Related Words

• account
• blueprint
• cartoon
• chart
• copy
• depiction
• description
• illustration
• likeness
• painting
• picture
• piece
• portrayal
• summary
• version
• vignette