streetwise
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of streetwise
Explanation
If you're streetwise, you can survive even tough city environments—you have plenty of knowledge and experience. Your streetwise friend can help you navigate New York City's subway system. The informal adjective streetwise is good for describing people who are resourceful, smart, and a little bit sly. When your cousin comes to visit from his isolated house in the country, he'll want a streetwise guide like you to show him around your urban neighborhood. The origin of streetwise is uncertain, although we know it was coined in the U.S. some time during the mid-20th century.
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.
In Coltrane’s streetwise translation, it becomes, “Somebody’s got to bend the arc of the moral universe. It don’t bend on its own.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
He was spoiled by his loving, indulgent mother but susceptible to bullying among his streetwise friends.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
They have already shut out Spain, but I don't see them stopping Argentina, who are probably the most streetwise team in the tournament, and you cannot look past Lionel Messi having the final say.
From BBC ● Jun. 28, 2026
Pulisic said Pochettino has helped to make a talented US team more streetwise ahead of the clash.
From Barron's ● Jun. 11, 2026
She and Allen could see the road Nicholas was on, but, streetwise though they were, could do little to stop it.
From "Class Matters" by The New York Times
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.
