clever

Also found in: Thesaurus, Acronyms, Idioms, Wikipedia.

clev·er

(klĕv′ər)

adj. clev·er·er, clev·er·est

a. Mentally quick and original; bright: a clever student.

b. Skilled at accomplishing things, especially with the hands: a clever carpenter.

c. Crafty; cunning: "a hard-working kid who rose from poverty, only to be duped by rich, clever bankers" (Jeff Goodell).

a. Exhibiting ingenuity or imagination; creative or artful: a clever experiment.

b. Witty; amusing: an evening of clever repartee.

c. Characterized by cunning or shrewdness: clever manipulation of public opinion.

3. New England Easily managed; docile: "Oxen must be pretty clever to be bossed around the way they are" (Dialect Notes).

4. Chiefly Southern US Good-natured; amiable.

[Middle English cliver; akin to East Frisian klifer, klüfer; see gleubh- in Indo-European roots.]

clev′er·ly adv.

clev′er·ness n.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

clever

(ˈklɛvə)

adj

1. displaying sharp intelligence or mental alertness

2. adroit or dexterous, esp with the hands

3. smart in a superficial way

4. informal Brit sly; cunning

5. (predicative; used with a negative) dialect healthy; fit

[C13 cliver (in the sense: quick to seize, adroit), of uncertain origin]

ˈcleverish adj

ˈcleverly adv

ˈcleverness n

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

clev•er

(ˈklɛv ər)

adj. -er•er, -er•est.

1. mentally bright; having sharp or quick intelligence; able.

2. superficially skillful or witty; facile: a clever remark.

3. showing inventiveness or originality; ingenious: a clever idea.

4. dexterous or nimble.

5. Dial.

a. suitable; satisfactory.

b. good-natured.

c. handsome.

[1250–1300; Middle English cliver, akin to Old English clifer claw, clife burdock. See cleavers]

clev′er•ish, adj.

clev′er•ish•ly, adv.

clev′er•ly, adv.

clev′er•ness, n.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Switch to new thesaurus

Adj.	1.	clever - showing self-interest and shrewdness in dealing with others; "a cagey lawyer"; "too clever to be sound" cagey, cagy, canny smart - showing mental alertness and calculation and resourcefulness
	2.	clever - mentally quick and resourceful; "an apt pupil"; "you are a clever man...you reason well and your wit is bold"-Bram Stoker apt intelligent - having the capacity for thought and reason especially to a high degree; "is there intelligent life in the universe?"; "an intelligent question"
	3.	clever - showing inventiveness and skill; "a clever gadget"; "the cunning maneuvers leading to his success"; "an ingenious solution to the problem" ingenious, cunning adroit - quick or skillful or adept in action or thought; "an exceptionally adroit pianist"; "an adroit technician"; "his adroit replies to hecklers won him many followers"; "an adroit negotiator"

clever

adjective

1. intelligent, quick, bright, talented, gifted, keen, capable, smart, sensible, rational, witty, apt, discerning, knowledgeable, astute, brainy (informal), quick-witted, sagacious, knowing, deep, expert My sister has always been the clever one in our family.
intelligent slow, thick, stupid, dull, dense, dumb (informal), witless

2. shrewd, bright, cunning, ingenious, inventive, astute, resourceful, canny It's a very clever idea.
shrewd boring, dull, unimaginative

3. skilful, able, talented, gifted, capable, inventive, adroit, dexterous My father was very clever with his hands.
skilful awkward, clumsy, inept, inexpert, maladroit, unaccomplished, ham-fisted (informal)

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

clever

adjective

1. Mentally quick and original:

alert, bright, intelligent, keen, quick, quick-witted, sharp, sharp-witted, smart.

Idiom: smart as a whip.

2. Exhibiting or possessing skill and ease in performance:

adroit, deft, dexterous, facile, handy, nimble, slick.

3. Amusing or pleasing because of wit or originality:

scintillating, smart, sparkling, witty.

Translations

بارِع، ذَكيذكيشَاطِرماهِر، حاذِق

chytrýznamenitýzručný

klogkvikrasksmartsnild

raffiniert schlau gescheit geschickt klug

έξυπνος

hábil ingenioso inteligente listo lista

älykäskätevänokkela

intelligent rusé agile artificieux astucieux

pametan

eszesokosügyes

handlaginn, snjallskynsamur, greindursnjall

intelligente lesto saggio savio sveglio

賢い

영리한

nagingasprotingaiprotingumassumanumas

gudrsizveicīgsprasmīgi darinātsspējīgs

slim

smart begavet dreven intelligent klok

zdolny

esperto

умный хитрый

bisterspreten

begåvad

เฉลียวฉลาด

zekizekiceakıllı akıllıca becerikli

thông minh

聪明的机敏的灵巧的

clever

[ˈklevəʳ] ADJ (cleverer (compar) (cleverest (superl)))

1. (= intelligent) [person] → inteligente, listo
clever girl! → ¡qué chica más lista!
that was clever of you → ¡qué listo eres!
that wasn't very clever, was it? > → eso ha sido una metedura de pata ¿no te parece?

2. (= skilful) [craftsman, sportsman] → hábil, habilidoso; [piece of work, action] → hábil, ingenioso
he is very clever with his hands → es muy mañoso, es muy hábil or habilidoso con las manos
she is very clever with cars → entiende de coches, tiene mano para los coches
to be clever at sth → tener aptitud para algo

3. (= ingenious) [book, idea, design] → ingenioso

4. (often pej) (= smart, astute) [politician, lawyer, criminal] → astuto, listo; [move, approach, plan] → astuto, ingenioso; [trick, hoax, technique, advertising] → ingenioso
he was too clever for us → fue más listo que nosotros
he did some clever book-keeping → hizo la contabilidad con bastante maña
don't get clever (with me)! > → ¡no te hagas el listo (conmigo)!
to be too clever by half > → pasarse de listo
clever Dick (Brit) clever clogs (Brit) → sabelotodo mf inv, listorro/a m/f
see also half 1

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

clever

[ˈklɛvə^r] adj

(= intelligent) [person] → intelligent(e)
She's very clever → Elle est très intelligente.
to be clever at sth (= good) → être doué(e) pour qch
to be clever at doing sth → être doué(e) pour faire qch

(= crafty) [person] → habile
to be too clever by half (British) → être trop malin/igne

[device, arrangement, system] → ingénieux/euse, astucieux/euse
a clever system → un système astucieux
what a clever idea! → quelle bonne idée!

clever

adj

(= mentally bright) → schlau; animal also → klug; to be clever at French → gut in Französisch sein; how clever of you to remember my birthday! → wie aufmerksam von dir, dass du an meinen Geburtstag gedacht hast!

(= ingenious, skilful, witty) → klug; person, move in chess also → geschickt; idea also → schlau; device, machine → raffiniert, geschickt; to be clever at something → in etw (dat) → geschickt sein; he is clever at raising money → er ist geschickt, wenn es darum geht, Geld aufzubringen; to be clever with one’s hands → geschickte Hände haben

(= cunning, smart) → schlau, clever (inf)

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

clever

[ˈklɛvəʳ] adj (-er (comp) (-est (superl))) (gen) → intelligente; (deft, skilful) → abile; (ingenious, idea, person, device) → geniale
to be clever at sth → essere abile in qc
he is very clever with his hands → è molto abile or bravo nei lavori manuali
he was too clever for us → era più furbo di noi

clever

(ˈklevə) adjective

1. quick to learn and understand. a clever child.

2. skilful. a clever carpenter.

3. (of things) showing cleverness. a clever idea.

ˈcleverly adverb

ˈcleverness noun

clever

→ شَاطِر chytrý klog schlau έξυπνος inteligente älykäs intelligent pametan intelligente 賢い 영리한 slim smart zdolny esperto умный begåvad เฉลียวฉลาด zeki thông minh 聪明的

References in classic literature ?

There was once a man who had a daughter who was called Clever Elsie.

View in context

"How clever!" exclaimed the King, turning a pleased face toward his counselors.

View in context

She's awful clever, and none but a clever one durst say a word to her.

View in context

There have always been the stupid and the clever, the slave and the master, the peasant and the prince.

View in context

This would not have been possible had not some clever man invented the "wireless" and an equally clever child suggested the idea of reaching the mysterious Land of Oz by its means.

View in context

He is getting on beautifully with his French; for though I don't think the place is so good as papa supposed, yet Harold is so immensely clever that he can scarcely help learning.

View in context

This king was a leper, and all his doctors had been unable to cure him, when a very clever physician came to his court.

View in context

"So many clever riddles as there used to be when he was young he wondered he could not remember them!

View in context

"He is a clever boy," she continued with enthusiasm, "but he needs a man like your Lordship to draw him out!"

View in context

See here, he knew that in his position he was bound to be suspected, so he conceived the exceedingly clever idea of preparing a lot of manufactured evidence against himself.

View in context

I felt they expected me to say clever things, and I never could think of any till after the party was over.

View in context

Tom, some weeks ago, had sent her word that Philip knew no end of stories,--not stupid stories like hers; and she was convinced now from her own observation that he must be very clever; she hoped he would think her rather clever too, when she came to talk to him.