quick-witted

[kwik-wit-id]

adjective

1. having a nimble, alert mind.

   Synonyms: sharp, clever, smart, perceptive, keen

quick-witted

adjective

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

Other Word Forms

• quick-wittedly adverb
• quick-wittedness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of quick-witted¹

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

Example Sentences

In Ava Pickett's fresh adaptation, being staged at London's Rose Theatre, Emma Woodhouse still has all the trademark traits of our beloved original heroine – she's clever, quick-witted, meddling, haughty and occasionally cruel.

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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.

Read more on Salon

Ardern was quick-witted enough to sparkle on Stephen Colbert and shrewd enough to pass effective climate change legislation and protect a woman’s right to choose.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

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.

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Paying tribute his family said Mr Bowles was "intelligent and quick-witted, had a brilliant mind and generous heart".

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Related Words

• astute 
• brainy 
• intelligent 
• perceptive 
• shrewd