clever
/ˈklɛvə
/adjective (cleverer, cleverest)
1Quick to understand, learn, and devise or apply ideas; intelligent: she was an extremely clever and studious young woman how clever of him to think of this!...
- Jo was clever, cunning, intelligent, very quick, and could see things which other people couldn't.
- This was an interesting idea and it was very clever of Serocath to come up with it.
- ‘It was very clever of him to go for part-ownership of Canova's The Three Graces,’ says another critic.
Synonyms
intelligent, bright, smart, brilliant;
talented, gifted, precocious;
capable, able, competent, apt, proficient;
educated, learned, erudite, academic, bookish, knowledgeable, wise, sagacious
informal brainy, genius
1.1Skilled at doing or achieving something; talented: he was very clever at getting what he wanted both Grandma and Mother were clever with their hands...
- You are youthful, intense and clever at work to achieve goals and success in a tough assignment.
- There aren't many that can compete physically with big Brian Irvine but Flo is so clever with the ball at his feet that the need for a physical contest is almost non-existent.
- Women have become incredibly clever at explaining these choices in ways that barely mention social pressures or male desires.
Synonyms
skilful, dexterous, adroit, deft, nimble, nimble-fingered, handy, adept;
skilled, talented
1.2Showing skill and originality; ingenious: a simple but clever idea for helping people learn computing he taught the dog to perform some very clever tricks...
- I saw nothing original or clever or ingenious about this film.
- It was a clever and original fundraising idea that offered people a challenge.
- We must always remember that what lures people here is the prospect of original and clever ideas.
Synonyms
shrewd, astute, sharp, acute, quick, sharp-witted, quick-witted;
ingenious, resourceful, canny, cunning, crafty, artful, wily, slick, neat
informal foxy, savvy
British informal fly
Scottish & Northern English informal pawky
North American informal as sharp as a tack, cute, whip-smart
1.3 [usually with negative] informal Sensible; well advised: Joe had a feeling it wasn’t too clever, leaving Dolly alone...
- The view expressed by Mr. Winer, and to a lesser extent Dr. Grant, is often considered very clever and sensible.
- This is not as clever as it sounds, because Teazers stocks a comprehensive range of men's deodorants in their bathrooms.
- Then Chicken Little crying wolf won't look like such a clever strategy, will it?
2 [predicative, with negative] British informal Healthy or well: I was up and about by this time though still not too clever...
- If you're feeling not too clever for some reason, stick on some music - it helps!
- After several midnight loo dashes we woke up on Tuesday morning feeling not too clever.
- I didn't feel too clever driving back either, but managed to avoid passing out on the M1 and got us all back safely.
Phrases
too clever by half
Origin
Middle English (in the sense 'quick to catch hold', only recorded in this period): perhaps of Dutch or Low German origin, and related to cleave2. In the late 16th century the term came to mean (probably through dialect use) 'manually skilful'; the sense 'possessing mental agility' dates from the early 18th century.