Is there an adjective to describe someone with the ability to quickly grasp/see the whole picture out of a few perceived details. This person is not detail-oriented and never fails to see the forest for the trees. Gestalt effect comes close to what I mean but I'm looking for an adjective.
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For gestalt, the OED has derivatives only gestaltism and gestaltist. It has no adjective like gestaltic. But you could probably use that and be understood.– GEdgarJan 26, 2015 at 15:41
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1Perhaps perspicacious?– ElendilTheTallJan 26, 2015 at 15:42
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2'Visionary' would overlap with this, but it's an overworked word. 'Perceptive', 'discerning' and 'far-sighted' are synonyms.– Edwin AshworthJan 26, 2015 at 15:42
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@GEdgar gestaltic is good but I'm looking for a word that is not scientific.– user15851Jan 26, 2015 at 15:48
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1broad-visioned– ermanenJan 26, 2015 at 15:58
3 Answers
If your point is to contrast details with the whole picture I'd suggest
holistic
This probably needs to be explicitly combined with "perception" to get the point across.
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1Holistic can't describe a person.– user15851Jan 26, 2015 at 15:50
You could describe him or her as a "big-picture thinker" or a "big-picture person."
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I'm looking for a single word.– user15851Jan 26, 2015 at 15:54
One word that describes the ability to grasp and understand the entire situation is "grok" taken from Heinleins "Stranger in a strange land"
One who groks a problem or situation understands it deeply, all the way doen to the sub-atomic level.
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@Mitch If you're a Turtle, maybe... in which case, Mitchelangelo? Otherwise I'd go grokky, seeing you're asking!– tmgrJan 22, 2019 at 23:50