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Synonyms

quick-witted

American  
[kwik-wit-id] / ˈkwɪkˈwɪt ɪd /

adjective

  1. having a nimble, alert mind.

    Synonyms:
    sharp, clever, smart, perceptive, keen
quick-witted British  

adjective

  1. having a keenly alert mind, esp as used to avert danger, make effective reply, etc

"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

Other Word Forms

  • quick-wittedly adverb
  • quick-wittedness noun

Etymology

Origin of quick-witted

First recorded in 1520–30; quick + wit 1 + -ed 3

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Enter Digby, a handsome, quick-witted and wealthy enigma who smells faintly of fig.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 30, 2026

Celebrate the holidays with this quick-witted, revelatory and very sweet teacher-centric mockumentary-comedy created by and starring Quinta Brunson.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 10, 2025

She’s quick-witted and intelligent, tossing out jokes with such an unassuming naturalism that you don’t realize she’s lobbed another punchline into the air until it lands on your head so close to the first.

From Salon • Jun. 17, 2025

Jacobs and Roach have written such a quick-witted character that it seems implausible Violet wouldn’t think of this herself, even if she was overwhelmed by the sudden collision of her nerves and trauma.

From Salon • Apr. 12, 2025

Do you have to be particularly quick-witted or clever or light on your feet to play that scene?

From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.