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.

Origin of clever

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

Related formsclev·er·ish, adjectiveclev·er·ish·ly, adverbclev·er·ly, adverbclev·er·ness, nouno·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

Synonyms for clever

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR clever ON THESAURUS.COM

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

Antonyms for clever

1. stupid. 4. clumsy.

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

Related Words for cleverness

dexterity, wit, gumption, quickness, flair, wisdom, discernment, sense, ability, gift, calculation, intelligence, sharpness, resourcefulness, sagacity, adroitness, shrewdness, talent, skill, astuteness

Examples from the Web for cleverness

Contemporary Examples of 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
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
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
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
You know, his cleverness makes capital markets more efficient.
Ghouls of Wall Street
Tina Brown
April 20, 2010

Historical Examples of cleverness

Often enough these innovations were not due to the cleverness of man's brain.
Ancient Man
Hendrik Willem van Loon
After all, Mary was only a woman, despite her cleverness, and with all a woman's timidity.
Within the Law
Marvin Dana
"That's just where your cleverness will come in," suavely answered Crane.
Thoroughbreds
W. A. Fraser
And by Jupiter, with a kind of cleverness in him too that would astonish you!'
Little Dorrit
Charles Dickens
This woman enjoyed the same sort of exultation in her own cleverness.
Roden's Corner
Henry Seton Merriman

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.