shrewd
Americanadjective
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shrewder,
comparative
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shrewdest
superlative
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having or showing astute or sharp judgment in practical matters, sometimes at the cost of moral compromise.
a shrewd businessman.
- Synonyms:
- intelligent, discriminating, keen, sagacious, perspicacious, perceptive, discerning, quick
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cunning or tricky; artful.
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shrewd pain.
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Archaic. mischievous; naughty.
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Obsolete. malicious or evil; bad.
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Obsolete. shrewish.
adjective
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astute and penetrating, often with regard to business
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artful and crafty
a shrewd politician
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obsolete
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piercing
a shrewd wind
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spiteful
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Synonym Usage
See acute.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Adjectives
Etymology
Origin of shrewd
First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English shrewed, in part representing shrew 1 + -ed 3 ( cf. dogged 1, wicked); in part probably past participle of shrewen “to curse,” verb use of shrew 1 ( -ed 2 )
Explanation
If you are shrewd in your spending, you can make a small salary go a long way. Use the adjective shrewd to describe a person or thing that is smart or clever in a practical sort of way. The word shrewd is from a Middle English adjective formed from the noun schrewe, "an evil person, a villain." This Middle English noun is an earlier form of our modern English word shrew. So shrewd and shrew are related to each other. Shrewd doesn't usually have a disapproving or negative tone, but shrew certainly does.
Vocabulary lists containing shrewd
List 2
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And Then There Were None
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Much Ado About Nothing
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Parton was a successful and shrewd businesswoman, and in 2022 was listed by Forbes as one of America's richest self-made women, external.
From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026
In the shrewd balance of his alliance with Moscow and Beijing, he has no need to make any sort of deals with Washington.
From Slate ● Aug. 17, 2026
A string of shrewd acquisitions then built a team that produces the third-most runs per game in the NL.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
As a signal to markets that Tokyo’s limited tools are less limited than they look, it is shrewd posturing at no cost.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
G. W., by contrast, is happy to entrust himself to ‘strong, and shrewd conjectures’.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
One of Farhadi’s shrewder insights here is that institutions, perhaps even more than individuals, have a real stake in turning inspirational stories to their financial and reputational advantage.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 6, 2022
She proved stronger and shrewder than more experienced rivals, coming through to win in one minute 57.98 seconds.
From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2021
Someone shrewder could have made better use of its marriage of history and blockbuster cinema to comment on our addiction to violent, explosive versions of American mythmaking.
From Salon ● Jun. 30, 2021
“Someone Else’s House,” produced by Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles, is an altogether shorter, tauter and shrewder work.
From New York Times ● May 3, 2021
Or she won't, a shrewder voice in his head suggested.
From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray
Tinubu is considered one of Nigeria's shrewdest politicians and his All Progressives Congress controls the national assembly and 31 of 36 powerful governorships.
From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026
That’s the hypothesis of one of the world’s shrewdest and most respected analysts of geopolitics and energy, Cambridge University political economy professor Helen Thompson.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 11, 2026
Klein Halevi is one of the shrewdest and most thoughtful analysts of Israeli politics and society.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 27, 2026
Ashworth's glittering reputation as one of the game's shrewdest operators meant he was regarded as a prized, crucial acquisition but left in December 2024 after only five months at Old Trafford.
From BBC ● Jan. 5, 2026
Critical to the publicity’s success was Howard’s shrewdest decision.
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
