quick-witted
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of quick-witted
Explanation
If you've got a knack for coming up with smart comments on the fly, you're quick-witted. The most quick-witted students in a class are often the first to raise their hands to answer the teacher's question (or to supply a sarcastic remark). Anyone whose mind is sharp can be called quick-witted, especially if they've got a great sense of humor and are speedy with a comeback. Being quick-witted is helpful during a debate or when you're playing a game with a time limit. Quick-witted comes from wit, which doesn't just mean "sense of humor," but also "intelligence."
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
Being funny — truly, naturally funny — isn’t just about delivering a punchline well or being quick-witted.
From Salon ● Feb. 5, 2026
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.
From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2025
Gilpin is quick-witted and highly quotable, with a gift for conjuring evocative imagery on the fly, all of which makes for a lively interview.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 9, 2025
The hat seemed to be asking rather a lot; Harry didn’t feel brave or quick-witted or any of it at the moment.
From "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" by J.K. Rowling
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.
