clever

American  

[klev-er] / ˈklɛv ər /

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.

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clever British  

/ 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

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Other Word Forms

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

Etymology

Origin of clever

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

Example Sentences

“And if you really want to be clever, put a $5 bill inside. It’s impossible to stay mad when a little cheddar falls out of a card someone’s sent you.”

From The Wall Street Journal

"Whether that was done purposely or not, I don't know, but it was really clever."

From BBC

"People much cleverer than me will say that the wage bill follows the league position, but I can't think that way," said the Newcastle boss.

From BBC

"She is so clever and the FBI training was a great idea."

From BBC

Eliasch added: "Trust me, I am a true believer in also prioritising the sport for the athlete. And here we need to be clever so that in some cases we are a bit skewed."

From Barron's