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.
Rangers could have been more streetwise when re-establishing their two-goal lead and Rohl laid down the gauntlet to his players.
From BBC • Apr. 4, 2026
His team should be too streetwise for Wolves, though.
From BBC • Dec. 1, 2025
Heralded for her Olivier-winning performance as Alma in Williams’ “Summer and Smoke,” Ferran, a Spanish British actress, is completely fluent in the playwright’s grand, streetwise lyricism.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 11, 2025
“I’ve been doing this for years — I am streetwise, not an idiot.”
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 11, 2024
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.
