clever

[klev-er]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR clever ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective, clev·er·er, clev·er·est.

mentally bright; having sharp or quick intelligence; able.

superficially skillful, witty, or original in character or construction; facile: It was an amusing, clever play, but of no lasting value.

showing inventiveness or originality; ingenious: His clever device was the first to solve the problem.

adroit with the hands or body; dexterous or nimble.

Older Use.

suitable; convenient; satisfactory.
good-natured.
handsome.
in good health.

Nearby words

Origin of clever

1175–1225; Middle English cliver, akin to Old English clifer claw, clife burdock. See cleavers

SYNONYMS FOR clever

1. ingenious, talented, quick-witted; smart, gifted; apt, expert. 4. skillful, agile, handy.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR clever ON THESAURUS.COM

ANTONYMS FOR clever

1. stupid. 4. clumsy.

SEE MORE ANTONYMS FOR clever ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

clev·er·ish, adjectiveclev·er·ish·ly, adverbclev·er·ly, adverbclev·er·ness, noun

o·ver·clev·er, adjectiveo·ver·clev·er·ly, adverbo·ver·clev·er·ness, nounun·clev·er, adjectiveun·clev·er·ly, adverbun·clev·er·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for clever

Few of us are as clever as my Inspector Morse-loving friend.
The Refuseniks Hiding From ‘Happy New Year’|Lizzie Crocker|December 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The clever part is that the present was “re-gifted” from city and state tax revenues.
Congress’ Gift That Keeps on Giving|P. J. O’Rourke|December 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The clever crooks managed to rack up $2 million in profits over a year, Ares said.
The Insane $11 Billion Scam at Retailers’ Return Desks|M.L. Nestel|December 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He wants to show her how clever he is and, more importantly, how well the script is going, that there is hope, a future.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days|David Freeman|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST

The small band of French critics helped shift the view of Hitchcock from a clever, popular entertainer to a Significant Artist.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days|David Freeman|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Dimber-damber, very pretty; a clever rogue who excels his fellows; chief of a gang.
The Slang Dictionary|John Camden Hotten
To be sure, the clever, hot-blooded little woman had held herself aloof from the crew's jaunts.
The Song of Songs|Hermann Sudermann
And then the continual effort to degrade the Mass, to rob it of its mystery and holy character—it's clever, it's subtle.
A Lost Cause|Cyril Arthur Edward Ranger Gull
Her voice suddenly took on the tone of seeming frankness that is the clever woman's best weapon.
The Gambler|Katherine Cecil Thurston
Virtue indeed he regarded simply as a trick by which clever hypocrites imposed upon fools.
History of the English People, Volume VI (of 8)|John Richard Green

British Dictionary definitions for clever

clever

adjective

displaying sharp intelligence or mental alertness

adroit or dexterous, esp with the hands

smart in a superficial way

British informal sly; cunning

(predicative; used with a negative) dialect healthy; fit

Derived Formscleverish, adjectivecleverly, adverbcleverness, noun

Word Origin for clever

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for clever

clever

adj.

1580s, "handy, dexterous," apparently from East Anglian dialectal cliver "expert at seizing," perhaps from East Frisian klüfer "skillful," or Norwegian dialectic klover "ready, skillful," and perhaps influenced by Old English clifer "claw, hand" (early usages seem to refer to dexterity). Or perhaps akin to Old Norse kleyfr "easy to split" and from a root related to cleave "to split." Extension to intellect is first recorded 1704.

This is a low word, scarcely ever used but in burlesque or conversation; and applied to any thing a man likes, without a settled meaning. [Johnson, 1755]

The meaning has narrowed since, but clever also often in old use and dialect meant "well-shaped, attractive-looking" and in 19c. American English sometimes "good-natured, agreeable." Related: Cleverly; cleverness.