clever
adjective
clev·er ˈkle-vər 
1
a
: skillful or adroit in using the hands or body : nimble
clever fingers
b
: mentally quick and resourceful
a clever young lawyer
2
: marked by wit or ingenuity
a clever solution
a clever idea
the play's clever dialogue
3
dialect
a
: good
b
: easy to use or handle
cleverish
ˈkle-v(ə-)rish
adjective cleverly
ˈkle-vər-lē
adverb cleverness
ˈkle-vər-nəs
noun 
Synonyms
- artful
- creative
- imaginative
- ingenious
- innovative
- inventive
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
All of Laptsev went to stare at the bride-to-be—she was no beauty, but everyone could see that she was clever, sophisticated … 
Isaac Bashevis Singer, New Yorker, 29 Sept. 2003 … the three of them may give Gray Davis, who was too clever for his own good, his comeuppance. Garrison Keillor, Time, 25 Aug. 2003 Some thought he had no redeeming value whatsoever. A sociopath. A clever manipulator … Louise Erdrich, New Yorker, 2 Dec. 2002 Those who can't write poetry, write clever letters to the editor. Those who can't write clever letters to the editor, write angry letters to the editor. Matt Groening, Utne Reader, November/December 1987 The old lady was clever enough and he thought that if she had started from any of the right premises, more might have been expected of her. Flannery O'Connor, Everything That Rises Must Converge, 1967 Some cats are clever enough to figure out how to operate doorknobs. That's the cleverest idea I've heard yet! She found a clever hiding place for the letter. See More
Isaac Bashevis Singer, New Yorker, 29 Sept. 2003 … the three of them may give Gray Davis, who was too clever for his own good, his comeuppance. Garrison Keillor, Time, 25 Aug. 2003 Some thought he had no redeeming value whatsoever. A sociopath. A clever manipulator … Louise Erdrich, New Yorker, 2 Dec. 2002 Those who can't write poetry, write clever letters to the editor. Those who can't write clever letters to the editor, write angry letters to the editor. Matt Groening, Utne Reader, November/December 1987 The old lady was clever enough and he thought that if she had started from any of the right premises, more might have been expected of her. Flannery O'Connor, Everything That Rises Must Converge, 1967 Some cats are clever enough to figure out how to operate doorknobs. That's the cleverest idea I've heard yet! She found a clever hiding place for the letter. See More Recent Examples on the Web While there’s a place for clever insults and explosive break-ups in TV scripts, the same can’t be said for corporate America. Lila Maclellan, Fortune, 9 Sep. 2022 With Latifah and Bridges at the wheel much of this could have been played for laughs, upending a boilerplate scenario in a clever, Jordan Peele kind of way while mocking all the southern bigotry. Jordan Mintzer, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Sep. 2022 But Apple has made some clever software choices to turn a weakness into a feature—and the company did it in a way that few Android phone makers could counter it in exactly the same way. Samuel Axon, Ars Technica, 7 Sep. 2022 Transform dining hall or takeout leftovers in a few clever ways. Audrey Bruno, SELF, 6 Sep. 2022 In that case, there are still some clever ways to determine an approximate, if not exact, build date for the property. Kristine Gill, Better Homes & Gardens, 31 Aug. 2022 Here are five clever ways to hide unsightly TV cords. Mary Cornetta, Better Homes & Gardens, 22 Aug. 2022 In a field experiment, another man devised a clever way to keep fuses, firing caps and matches dry underwater by wrapping them in a condom. Andrew Dubbins, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 Aug. 2022 Are these just musical tributes, or clever ways of gaming the system? Wired, 20 July 2022 See More
Lila Maclellan, Fortune, 9 Sep. 2022 With Latifah and Bridges at the wheel much of this could have been played for laughs, upending a boilerplate scenario in a clever, Jordan Peele kind of way while mocking all the southern bigotry. Jordan Mintzer, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Sep. 2022 But Apple has made some clever software choices to turn a weakness into a feature—and the company did it in a way that few Android phone makers could counter it in exactly the same way. Samuel Axon, Ars Technica, 7 Sep. 2022 Transform dining hall or takeout leftovers in a few clever ways. Audrey Bruno, SELF, 6 Sep. 2022 In that case, there are still some clever ways to determine an approximate, if not exact, build date for the property. Kristine Gill, Better Homes & Gardens, 31 Aug. 2022 Here are five clever ways to hide unsightly TV cords. Mary Cornetta, Better Homes & Gardens, 22 Aug. 2022 In a field experiment, another man devised a clever way to keep fuses, firing caps and matches dry underwater by wrapping them in a condom. Andrew Dubbins, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 Aug. 2022 Are these just musical tributes, or clever ways of gaming the system? Wired, 20 July 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
Middle English cliver, perhaps of Scandinavian origin; akin to Danish dialect kløver alert, skillful
First Known Use
circa 1595, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Phrases Containing clever
Kids Definition
clever
adjective
clev·er ˈkle-vər
cleverer; cleverest
1
: having a quick inventive mind
a clever designer
2
: showing intelligence, wit, or imagination
a clever joke
a clever idea
3
: showing skill in using the hands
He was very strong and clever with his knife … Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Secret Garden
Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Secret Gardenclever
adjective
1
as in innovative
showing a noteworthy use of the imagination and creativity especially in inventing an inventor who was constantly coming up with clever devices for doing everyday chores Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- innovative
- inventive
- imaginative
- creative
- ingenious
- artful
- useful
- practical
- sophisticated
- convenient
- intelligent
- smart
- neat
- handy
- adventurous
- nifty
- original
- novel
- groundbreaking
- complex
- fresh
- deft
- expert
- visionary
- gimmicky
- adroit
- tricky
- dexterous
- brainy
- cleverish
- handsome
- gadgety
- dextrous
- sharp
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- unimaginative
- uncreative
- dull
- stodgy
- useless
- pedantic
- hackneyed
- derivative
- pedestrian
- unoriginal
- impractical
- canned
- cookie-cutter
- assembly-line
2
as in intelligent
having or showing quickness of mind a clever student figured out a trick to do the assignment faster Synonyms & Similar Words
- intelligent
- smart
- quick
- brilliant
- fast
- exceptional
- sharp
- bright
- keen
- wise
- brainy
- nimble
- skilled
- educated
- cunning
- wise
- ingenious
- quick-witted
- alert
- resourceful
- supersmart
- sharp-witted
- creative
- astute
- sensible
- insightful
- savvy
- learned
- ultrasmart
- hyperintelligent
- perceptive
- schooled
- literate
- sagacious
- inventive
- perspicacious
- apt
- erudite
- acute
- cerebral
- informed
- shrewd
- wily
- logical
- knowledgeable
- prudent
- judicious
- crafty
- knowing
- trained
- sound
- discerning
- reasonable
- highbrow
- rational
- scholarly
- heady
- sane
- genial
- foxy
- sage
- percipient
- well-read
- sapient
- sapient
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- simple
- stupid
- dumb
- obtuse
- fatuous
- slow
- dopey
- unintelligent
- dense
- vacuous
- soft
- doltish
- witless
- opaque
- dull
- boneheaded
- brainless
- mindless
- thick
- dunderheaded
- silly
- thickheaded
- lamebrain
- dorky
- lamebrained
- unsmart
- idiotic
- simpleminded
- foolish
- dim
- pinheaded
- unbrilliant
- softheaded
- senseless
- knuckleheaded
- moronic
- dopy
- bubbleheaded
- gormless
- chuckleheaded
- feebleminded
- dim-witted
- ignorant
- imbecilic
- lunkheaded
- imbecile
- airheaded
- thick-witted
- birdbrained
- idiotical
- brain-dead
- half-witted
- empty-headed
- absurd
- zany
- weak-minded
- slow-witted
- uneducated
- wacky
- uninformed
- illiterate
- daft
- crazy
- unthinking
- mad
- insane
- whacky
- kooky
- nonsensical
- unintellectual
- preposterous
- unwise
- lowbrow
- untaught
- unacademic
- fool
- nutty
- asinine
- nonintellectual
- dippy
- loony
- harebrained
- daffy
- lunatic
- sappy
- half-baked
- screwball
- cuckoo
- dotty
- boobish
- crackpot
- looney
- cockeyed
- balmy
- kookie
- tomfool
- half-baked
- featherheaded
3
as in cunning
skillful with the hands the Shakers were clever artisans who created many ingenious and highly useful devices Synonyms & Similar Words
- cunning
- skillful
- deft
- skilled
- handy
- dexterous
- dextrous
- capable
- adept
- graceful
- proficient
- agile
- nimble
- competent
- spry
- masterful
- able
- flexible
- limber
- coordinated
- qualified
- expert
- masterly
- lissome
- lissom
- lithe
- lithesome
- sure-handed
- habile
- loose-jointed
- double-jointed
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- clumsy
- unhandy
- awkward
- wooden
- ungainly
- handless
- uncomfortable
- klutzy
- uneasy
- ham-fisted
- gauche
- ungraceful
- ham-handed
- gawky
- stilted
- heavy-handed
- graceless
- stiff
- fumbling
- inept
- uncoordinated
- incompetent
- incapable
- butterfingered
- bungling
- inexpert
- rough-hewn
- maladroit
4
as in witty
given to or marked by mature intelligent humor a clever joke that requires a little bit of thought on the part of the listener Synonyms & Similar Words
- witty
- humorous
- funny
- smart
- playful
- amusing
- jocular
- facetious
- joking
- mischievous
- entertaining
- ridiculous
- comical
- cerebral
- droll
- comic
- ludicrous
- highbrow
- hysterical
- teasing
- intellectual
- frivolous
- laughable
- merry
- farcical
- jesting
- whimsical
- bantering
- jolly
- prankish
- uproarious
- laughing
- riotous
- jovial
- risible
- diverting
- antic
- waggish
- screaming
- mirthful
- rollicking
- flippant
- joshing
- jocose
- highbrowed
- sidesplitting
- scintillating
- jocund
- flip
- sparkling
- sunny
- pert
- smart-alecky
- smart-aleck
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- stupid
- witless
- lame
- brainless
- lowbrow
- hackneyed
- corny
- serious
- unfunny
- humorless
- unamusing
- earnest
- hackney
- solemn
- sombre
- sober
- somber
- grave
- sorry
- plaintive
- woeful
- doleful
- tearful
- uncomic
- lachrymose
- dolorous
- serious-minded
5
as in inventive
having the skill and imagination to create new things I wonder what clever person thought of the digital camera Synonyms & Similar Words
- inventive
- innovative
- creative
- talented
- imaginative
- innovational
- ingenious
- gifted
- prolific
- inspired
- innovatory
- originative
- resourceful
- original
- Promethean
- generative
- fertile
- fecund
- fruitful
- productive
- germinal
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- unimaginative
- unoriginal
- uncreative
- uninspired
- imitative
- uninventive
- unproductive
- infertile
- talentless
Synonym Chooser
Some common synonyms of clever are adroit, cunning, and ingenious. While all these words mean "having or showing practical wit or skill in contriving," clever stresses physical or mental quickness, deftness, or great aptitude.
a person clever with horses
The words adroit and clever can be used in similar contexts, but adroit often implies a skillful use of expedients to achieve one's purpose in spite of difficulties.
an adroit negotiator
The meanings of cunning and clever largely overlap; however, cunning implies great skill in constructing or creating.
a filmmaker cunning in his use of special effects
While the synonyms ingenious and clever are close in meaning, ingenious suggests the power of inventing or discovering a new way of accomplishing something.
an ingenious software engineer
- forked tongue
- forked worm
- forked-tailed petrel
- forked-tongued
- forkednesses
- forker
- forkers
- forkful
- forkfuls
- forkhead
- forkheads
- forkier
- forkiest
- forkiness
- forking
- forking (over, out, or up)
- forking catchfly
- forking over, out, or up
- forkless
- forklift
- forklift truck
- forklifted
- forklifting
- forklifts
- forklike