quick-witted
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
- quick-wittedly adverb
- quick-wittedness noun
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
Throughout his quick-witted hour of crowd work on “Super Funny,” Jackson finds a way to weave the stories of his random audience members together in a way that makes the whole show feel pre-planned.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 10, 2025
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
Soon after Deane arrived in Paris, he was targeted by a flashy, quick-witted British agent.
From "George Washington, Spymaster" by Thomas B. Allen
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.
