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Synonyms

shrewd

American  
[shrood] / ʃrud /

adjective

shrewder, shrewdest

  1. having or showing astute or sharp judgment in practical matters, sometimes at the cost of moral compromise.

    a shrewd businessman.
    Synonyms:
    intelligent, discriminating, keen, sagacious, perspicacious, perceptive, discerning, quick

  2. cunning or tricky; artful.

  3. keen; piercing.

    shrewd pain.

  4. Archaic. mischievous; naughty.

  5. Obsolete. malicious or evil; bad.

  6. Obsolete. shrewish.

shrewd British  
/ ʃruːd /

adjective

  1. astute and penetrating, often with regard to business

  2. artful and crafty

    a shrewd politician

  3. obsolete

    1. piercing

      a shrewd wind

    2. spiteful

"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

Related Words

See acute.

Other Word Forms

  • shrewdly adverb
  • shrewdness noun
  • unshrewd adjective
  • unshrewdly adverb

Etymology

Origin of shrewd

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English shrewed, in part representing shrew 1 + -ed 3 ( dogged 1, wicked ); in part probably past participle of shrewen “to curse,” verb use of shrew 1 ( -ed 2 )

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.

And it may surprise even the shrewdest reader to learn that most serpents do not belong in the realm of Pain.

From Literature

His enthusiasm for the game, respect for the competition and shrewd eye helped launch Rovers from the start.

From BBC

The turn from smartphone dependency to AI is a shrewd one.

From Barron's

“Genius and Anxiety,” Norman Lebrecht’s shrewd title for his 2019 study of angst and Jewish achievement, could just as easily apply to a study of Goldman.

From The Wall Street Journal

A subset of Kenney’s outreach apparently exploited that tendency in a shrewd way.

From Salon

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.