shrewdness

[ shrood-nis ]
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noun
  1. the quality of being astute or sharp in practical matters; the ability to find and pursue the most advantageous course of action, sometimes at the cost of moral compromise: He had the gift of storytelling, but not the ordinary shrewdness to convert the talent into a bankable asset.Michnik says that the marketplace frequently “chooses banality over excellence, shrewdness over nobility, empty promise over true competence.”

Origin of shrewdness

1

Other words from shrewdness

  • un·shrewd·ness, noun

Words Nearby shrewdness

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use shrewdness in a sentence

  • Scotch shrewdness expresses itself in a phraseology all its own, and of which Donald alone possesses the secret.

    Friend Mac Donald | Max O'Rell
  • Scotch shrewdness has occasionally a certain smack of mild hypocrisy, which, however, does no harm to anyone.

    Friend Mac Donald | Max O'Rell
  • Arnold paused, and his glance held something of shrewdness and a livening challenge.

    We're Friends, Now | Henry Hasse
  • There is an air of anxious expectancy about him, with a look of Semitic shrewdness in the long, narrow face.

    Prison Memoirs of an Anarchist | Alexander Berkman