Realistic and perceptive without being misled by wishful thinking.
Reach for it when praising honest judgment that sees strengths and risks together
Her clear-eyed forecast included the likely delays as well as the potential gains.
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| everyday | |
| professional |
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| formal | |
| literary |
playful
hardheaded
Fits when practical facts outweigh comforting stories
Careful Hardheaded can praise rigidity and undervalue relationships.
everyday
Fits when expectations match available evidence and constraints
Careful Realistic can become a label for unnecessary pessimism.
everyday
sober
Fits when the assessment is restrained and serious
Careful Sober can mean not intoxicated and may make balanced optimism sound grim.
professional
Fits when fine differences in quality or evidence are recognized
Careful Discerning often concerns taste and need not confront unpleasant reality.
formal
Fits when thinking is clear and coherent
Careful Lucid describes mental clarity but not whether the conclusion is realistic.
formal
Fits when subtle features of a situation are accurately noticed
Careful Perception alone does not show freedom from self-deception.
literary
unsentimental
Fits when emotion is not allowed to distort judgment
Careful Unsentimental can sound cold and may dismiss compassion as bias.
clear-eyed assessment
A clear-eyed assessment separated recoverable costs from sunk costs.
clear-eyed view
She kept a clear-eyed view of both the opportunity and the workload.
remain clear-eyed
The founders remained clear-eyed when early praise outpaced repeat use.
Definitions and examples are written for this site. How words are chosen Updated
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