clever

[klev-er]

adjective

cleverer, cleverest 

1. mentally bright; having sharp or quick intelligence; able.

   Synonyms: expert, apt, gifted, smart, quick-witted, talented, ingenious
   Antonyms: stupid

2. superficially skillful, witty, or original in character or construction; facile.

   It was an amusing, clever play, but of no lasting value.

3. showing inventiveness or originality; ingenious.

   His clever device was the first to solve the problem.

4. adroit with the hands or body; dexterous or nimble.

   Synonyms: handy, agile, skillful
   Antonyms: clumsy

5. Older Use.

   1. suitable; convenient; satisfactory.

   2. good-natured.

   3. handsome.

   4. in good health.

clever

/ ˈklɛvə /

adjective

1. displaying sharp intelligence or mental alertness

2. adroit or dexterous, esp with the hands

3. smart in a superficial way

4. informal,  sly; cunning

5. dialect,  (predicative; used with a negative) healthy; fit

Other Word Forms

• cleverish adjective
• cleverishly adverb
• cleverly adverb
• cleverness noun
• overclever adjective
• overcleverly adverb
• overcleverness noun
• unclever adjective
• uncleverly adverb
• uncleverness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of clever¹

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English cliver, perhaps from Old English clifer “claw,” clife “burdock,” or akin to East Frisian klüfer “skillful, agile, alert”; cleavers, cleft ¹, clove ²

Word History and Origins

Origin of clever¹

C13 cliver (in the sense: quick to seize, adroit), of uncertain origin

Example Sentences

In that way, “Cheese Magic” does more than celebrate seasonality and clever pairings.

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It’s a clever line, but worn-out New Jerseyans seeking a change might be more likely to turn out if they knew how he’d deliver.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The most notable addition to the story is a sequence depicting the Phantom’s humiliating past as part of a freak show—a clever innovation that slightly humanizes this opaque character.

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A portable TV is programmed to play only episodes of “The Simpsons” and offers a clever critique of the streaming era’s tyranny of choice.

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“The way he finishes notes, the way he slurs into notes, the way vowels sound, the choices of sounds he uses in the lyrics he writes—it’s just clever,” he said.

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