definitions

shrewd

[ shrood ]
/ ʃrud /
||
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR shrewd ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective, shrewd·er, shrewd·est.

astute or sharp in practical matters: a shrewd politician.
keen; piercing.
artful(def 1).
Archaic. malicious.
Obsolete. bad1.
Obsolete. shrewish.

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RELATED WORDS

acumen, sharpness, intelligence, cleverness, perspicacity, judgment

Nearby words

shredder, shredding, shreveport, shrew, shrew mole, shrewd, shrewdie, shrewdly, shrewish, shrewishly, shrewmouse

Origin of shrewd

1275–1325; Middle English shrewed, in part representing shrew1 + -ed3 (cf. dogged1, wicked); in part probably past participle of shrewen to curse, v. use of shrew1 (see -ed2)
Related forms
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for shrewdness

British Dictionary definitions for shrewdness

shrewd

/ (ʃruːd) /

adjective

astute and penetrating, often with regard to business
artful and craftya shrewd politician
obsolete
  1. piercinga shrewd wind
  2. spiteful
Derived Formsshrewdly, adverbshrewdness, noun

Word Origin for shrewd

C14: from shrew (obsolete vb) to curse, from shrew
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

Word Origin and History for shrewdness

shrewd

adj.

c.1300, "wicked, evil," from shrewe "wicked man" (see shrew). Cf. crabbed from crab (n.), dogged from dog (n.), wicked from witch (n.). The sense of "cunning" is first recorded 1510s. Related: Shrewdly; shrewdness. Strutt's "Sports and Pastimes of the People of England" (1801) has a shrewdness of apes for a company or group of them. Shrewdie "cunning person" is from 1916.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper