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Please give me one word for "someone who learns from others' mistakes". The word has escaped me for a while now. I've tried observant but it's still not cutting it for me.

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We're looking for long answers that provide some explanation and context. Don't just give a one-line answer; explain why your answer is right, ideally with citations. Answers that don't include explanations may be removed.

  • Perhaps student? Or child? – bib Sep 7 '13 at 19:19
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A wise person follows the "path through time immemorial" learning from others'mistakes.

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In simple English, A person who learns from other's mistakes may be called wise person

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    @Aluna has already given the same answer. Please include your own information in an answer, not just repeating what has already been said. – mikhailcazi Sep 7 '13 at 13:26
  • I was going to respond intelligent, but this is an even better phrase. – Pieter Geerkens Sep 7 '13 at 15:32
  • In plain English, a person who learns from other people's mistakes may be called a wise person. – Mari-Lou A Sep 7 '13 at 18:03
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    @mikhailcazi Oh, the irony of not learning from someone else's mistakes when trying to describe the right word for learning from someone else's mistakes. – Jack Ryan Sep 8 '13 at 19:19
  • @JackRyan I lol'd! xD – mikhailcazi Sep 9 '13 at 10:12
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I can think of the following:

fast learner or quick learner

sagacious

assimilator (as in one who absorbs new experiences)

Of course one would have to provide the context to fully establish the meaning. But I think that the situation described is too specific for a totally apt single word.

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Circumspect has the primary meaning cautious (bordering perhaps on over-cautious), but probably still connotes 'weighing up what's happening around oneself' - perhaps close enough to 'learning from others' mistakes'. There's no agent noun.

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protected by tchrist♦ Jul 8 '17 at 14:15

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