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

The show’s minimalism extends to its set by Soutra Gilmour: two oversize piles of luggage on a turntable—conceptually clever even if it may trigger unpleasant memories of long, foot-tapping waits at airport carousels.

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The entire series, written by the clever Ben Elton, extrapolated what little is known about the Bard into an ingenious series of perfectly plausible comic dilemmas, and an occasional unexpected dramatic one.

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The morning frost glistens, and—in a clever device—the low sun glimmers through a row of unseen, leafless trees behind the artist, casting crisscrossing, rhythmic shadows on the furrows.

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It was Murillo's clever movement back into space that allowed him to score with minimal pressure around him.

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Miles Hart was sociable, clever and witty - the joker of the group.

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