shrewd

[ shrood ]

adjective

, shrewd·er, shrewd·est.

1. 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

2. cunning or tricky; artful.
3. keen; piercing:

   shrewd pain.

4. Archaic. mischievous; naughty.
5. Obsolete. malicious or evil; bad.
6. Obsolete. shrewish.

shrewd

/ ʃruːd /

adjective

1. astute and penetrating, often with regard to business
2. artful and crafty

   a shrewd politician

3. obsolete.
   1. piercing

      a shrewd wind

   2. spiteful

Derived Forms

• ˈshrewdly, adverb
• ˈshrewdness, noun

Other Words From

• shrewd·ly adverb
• shrewd·ness noun
• un·shrewd adjective
• un·shrewd·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of shrewd¹

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English shrewed, in part representing shrew ¹ + -ed ³ ( dogged ¹, wicked ); in part probably past participle of shrewen “to curse,” verb use of shrew ¹ ( -ed ² )

Word History and Origins

Origin of shrewd¹

C14: from shrew (obsolete vb) to curse, from shrew

Synonym Study

See acute.

Example Sentences

As my colleague Ben Morris wrote years ago, the advantage Beane’s shrewd deal-making brought to Oakland year after year was worth far more than any one star player could have provided the franchise.

From FiveThirtyEight

Tesla’s been shrewd in exploiting a system in which rivals help fund its rise.

From Fortune

Dramatic as the latter move would be, it would be a shrewd one considering how declining linear viewership and accelerating cord cutting is making the economics of operating a cable TV network less tenable.

From Digiday

For tech companies, the four-day week incites laser focus and shrewd prioritization.

From Digiday

Equal parts bitter tragedy and shrewd satire, it’s a cautionary tale against the ephemeral allures of fame and fortune, as well as an indictment of an industry that exploits and then discards the very people who make it possible in the first place.

From Washington Blade

Following in those shrewd, shirtless footsteps, perhaps one day Jonas will be peed on by Nicole Kidman, too.

From The Daily Beast

The deviating family melodrama has, thankfully, been replaced by shrewd spycraft.

From The Daily Beast

As someone with a shrewd eye for the absurd, it is entirely possible somewhere Joan Rivers is smiling right now.

From The Daily Beast

It was, all things considered, a very shrewd publicity stunt.

From The Daily Beast

To be fair, the palace have played a very shrewd game with George.

From The Daily Beast

Yet he could see into the heart of things as well as most men, for he was a shrewd Scotchman, and had a pawky humour.

From Project Gutenberg

This was accompanied by a shrewd look to his son, indicating plainly enough what he expected him to say.

From Project Gutenberg

A vein of shrewd and humorous sarcasm, together with an under-current of quiet selfishness, made him a very pleasant companion. '

From Project Gutenberg

With the shrewd cleverness that scarcely ever deserted her, she had forced her temper into the service of deception.

From Project Gutenberg

Taylor is a shrewd fellow; full of useful bits of information, and knows, I really believe, three-fourths of London by name.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• astute
• cagey
• canny
• crafty
• farsighted
• ingenious
• judicious
• keen
• penetrating
• perceptive
• probing
• prudent
• sensible
• sharp
• slick
• sly
• smart
• wily
• wise