clever
mentally bright; having sharp or quick intelligence; able.
superficially skillful, witty, or original in character or construction; facile: It was an amusing, clever play, but of no lasting value.
showing inventiveness or originality; ingenious: His clever device was the first to solve the problem.
adroit with the hands or body; dexterous or nimble.
Older Use.
suitable; convenient; satisfactory.
in good health.
Origin of clever
1Other words for clever
Opposites for clever
Other words from clever
- clev·er·ish, adjective
- clev·er·ish·ly, adverb
- clev·er·ly, adverb
- clev·er·ness, noun
- o·ver·clev·er, adjective
- o·ver·clev·er·ly, adverb
- o·ver·clev·er·ness, noun
- un·clev·er, adjective
- un·clev·er·ly, adverb
- un·clev·er·ness, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use clever in a sentence
“I think this is a really clever Machiavellian ploy that I hope doesn’t work,” said David Heinemeier Hansson, co-founder of the email service Basecamp, which offers an iPhone app.
Apple cuts some App Store fees, but critics call it a ploy to avoid regulation | Reed Albergotti | November 18, 2020 | Washington PostThe star audiences fell in love with was the product of clever producers and marketing.
Why Britney Spears’s fans are convinced she’s being held captive | Constance Grady | November 11, 2020 | VoxAn actual gift that showed some thought for your friend’s interests would be ever so much cleverer.
Miss Manners: Does an online dating request deserve a reply to decline? | Judith Martin, Nicholas Martin, Jacobina Martin | November 11, 2020 | Washington PostTheorists raced to devise clever theories to explain the bizarre pulsar and what happened to it.
Streaming sites once devoted to quirky dances and video games, like the explosively popular short-video app TikTok and the live-streaming gaming site Twitch, now overflow with clever creators offering engaging riffs on current events.
How viral videos helped blast voting lies across the Web | Drew Harwell | November 6, 2020 | Washington Post
So he runs off for freedom and is done in by his own cleverness.
The Shocking ‘Fargo’ Finale: Creator Noah Hawley Breaks Down the Epic Bloodbath | Kevin Fallon | June 18, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThey masquerade as intellectual contests, but are really just showcases for rhetorical cleverness and public charisma.
My Debate With an ‘Intelligent Design’ Theorist | Karl W. Giberson | April 21, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThe more important smell test is one of tone: that cocktail of cleverness, warmth, and mania that marked the Henson years.
Bad Jokes and Silent Kids: How You Know Something Is Very Wrong With Muppets Most Wanted | Brandy Zadrozny | March 28, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTBut this one was made with more care than usual, and a lot more cleverness.
Seriously, ‘Die Hard’ Was a Novel Before It Was a Movie and a Good One | Malcolm Jones | December 22, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTMy “clever” idea left without the need for cleverness in the writing; I even included a reunion ending.
With the shrewd cleverness that scarcely ever deserted her, she had forced her temper into the service of deception.
Bella Donna | Robert HichensNow we present the unique spectacle of a city packed to the brim with cleverness and always ready for more.
Ancestors | Gertrude AthertonAnd you have quite a distinguished collection of real ancestors, and intellect instead of mere cleverness.
Ancestors | Gertrude AthertonOrdinary narrative poems with no satiric intent were decked in Hudibrastic couplets for the sake of a superficial cleverness.
Aesop Dress'd | Bernard MandevilleThe theory was perfect, but in practice Mr. Squirrel displayed more cleverness than he had been given credit for.
Gold-Seeking on the Dalton Trail | Arthur R. Thompson
British Dictionary definitions for clever
/ (ˈklɛvə) /
displaying sharp intelligence or mental alertness
adroit or dexterous, esp with the hands
smart in a superficial way
British informal sly; cunning
(predicative; used with a negative) dialect healthy; fit
Origin of clever
1Derived forms of clever
- cleverish, adjective
- cleverly, adverb
- cleverness, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Browse