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definitions

streetwise

or street-wise

[ street-wahyz ]
/ ˈstritˌwaɪz /
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR streetwise ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

street-smart.

RELATED WORDS

ingenious, sensible, penetrating, wise, sly, keen, farsighted, slick, judicious, perceptive, cagey, astute, canny, sharp, prudent, probing, crafty, smart, wily, glib

Nearby words

  1. streetlight,
  2. streetology,
  3. streetscape,
  4. streetwalker,
  5. streetwear,
  6. streetworker,
  7. strega,
  8. streicher,
  9. streisand,
  10. strelitzia

Origin of streetwise

An Americanism dating back to 1960–65; street + wise1
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for streetwise

British Dictionary definitions for streetwise

streetwise

/ (ˈstriːtˌwaɪz) /

adjective

attuned to and adept at surviving in an urban, poor and often criminal environmentAlso: street-smart
Derived Formsstreet wisdom, noun
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 streetwise

streetwise

adj.

1965, from street + wise (adj.) "smart, savvy."

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper