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 cleverness

So he runs off for freedom and is done in by his own cleverness.
The Shocking ‘Fargo’ Finale: Creator Noah Hawley Breaks Down the Epic Bloodbath|Kevin Fallon|June 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The more important smell test is one of tone: that cocktail of cleverness, warmth, and mania that marked the Henson years.
Bad Jokes and Silent Kids: How You Know Something Is Very Wrong With Muppets Most Wanted|Brandy Zadrozny|March 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
My “clever” idea left without the need for cleverness in the writing; I even included a reunion ending.
Boys Don’t Cry: In Praise of Sentiment|Andrew Sean Greer|June 26, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The story is a classic of doggedness, cleverness, and a little luck.
New Thai-Taiwanese Syndrome Is Not AIDS 2.0|Kent Sepkowitz|August 26, 2012|DAILY BEAST

You know, his cleverness makes capital markets more efficient.
Ghouls of Wall Street|Tina Brown|April 20, 2010|DAILY BEAST
But the trouble is we trust our cleverness so much that we get cheated that way.
Look Back on Happiness|Knut Hamsun
Your cleverness has misled you and has hitherto done you far more evil than good.
Bunyan Characters|Alexander Whyte
You with all your energy and cleverness and general sanity, and he so widely sympathetic that he is a bit impersonal.
The Dull Miss Archinard|Anne Douglas Sedgwick
It is a matter of common information that James prided himself on his cleverness.
A History of Witchcraft in England from 1558 to 1718|Wallace Notestein
His yellow, mobile features were certainly full of cleverness and sarcasm.
A Sportsman's Sketches|Ivan Turgenev

British Dictionary definitions for cleverness

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 cleverness

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.