savvy
Americanadjective
noun
verb (used with or without object)
verb
-
to understand or get the sense of (an idea, etc)
-
I don't (he doesn't, etc) understand
noun
adjective
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Adjectives
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
savvysimple
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savviessimple
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have savviedperfect
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has savviedperfect
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am savvyingprogressive
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are savvyingprogressive
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is savvyingprogressive
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have been savvyingperfect progressive
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has been savvyingperfect progressive
Past
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savviedsimple
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had savviedperfect
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was savvyingprogressive
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were savvyingprogressive
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had been savvyingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of savvy
First recorded in 1775–85; from Spanish sabe, 3rd-person singular present of saber “to know,” from Latin sapere “to be wise, taste”; see sapient
Explanation
You are known as someone with a lot of business savvy, but only because you've managed to keep your staggering debts a secret. Which is actually pretty savvy. Someone who is savvy is shrewd and perceptive. Most English words stem directly from other European languages, like French and Latin. Not savvy. It comes from the West Indies, a twist on the French savez vous? — “Do you know?” Savvy was first recorded in its adjective form in 1905. Synonyms for the noun form include acumen, discernment, grasp, perception, and sharpness.
Vocabulary lists containing savvy
This Week in Words: August 11 - 17, 2018
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The Things They Carried
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Bright Ideas: Synonyms For "Smart"
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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.
Representatives of the Saudi investment fund are part of Savvy Game Group’s board and do sometimes give some feedback on company initiatives, though Ferreira said the company has remained “very independent.”
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 25, 2026
“It’s like trading—it’s like what Morgan Stanley does,” Tommy Gucciardo, a broker at Savvy Seats, said of his business.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 5, 2026
“A Roth IRA can be a powerful long-term tool for children because it gives you decades of tax-free potential income,” said said Sherron Permashwar, CPA and wealth strategist for the Modern Savvy CPA.
From MarketWatch • May 26, 2026
But the choice of "Savvy the Squirrel" to front the campaign has raised some eyebrows.
From BBC • Apr. 24, 2026
Savvy operators within these organizations diverted trucks and colluded with smugglers to import fleets of secondhand cars, vans, and buses from China.
From "Escape from Camp 14: One Man's Remarkable Odyssey from North Korea to Freedom in the West" by Blaine Harden
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.
