shrewd
AdjectiveOpen English WordNet
Adjective (2)shrewder, shrewdest
- marked by practical hardheaded intelligence“a smart businessman”“an astute tenant always reads the small print in a lease”“he was too shrewd to go along with them on a road that could lead only to their overthrow”Synonyms: astutesharpOpposite stupidSimilar smart
- acting with a specific goal“the most calculating and selfish men in the community”Synonyms: calculatingcalculativeconnivingschemingOpposite softSimilar hard
What does it mean? Question 1 of today’s quiz
Webster's Dictionary (1913)
Origin: Originally the p. p. of shrew, v.t.
1. Inclining to shrew; disposing to curse or scold; hence, vicious; malicious; evil; wicked; mischievous; vexatious; rough; unfair; shrewish. obsolete Geoffrey Chaucer
[Egypt] hath many shrewd havens, because of the great rocks that ben strong and dangerous to pass by.— Sir John Mandeville
Every of this happy number That have endured shrewd days and nights with us.— William Shakespeare
2. Artful; wily; cunning; arch.
These women are shrewd tempters with their tongues.— William Shakespeare
3. Able or clever in practical affairs; sharp in business; astute; sharp-witted; sagacious; keen; as, a shrewd observer; a shrewd design; a shrewd reply.
Professing to despise the ill opinion of mankind creates a shrewd suspicion that we have deserved it.— Thomas Secker
Synonyms: Keen; critical; subtle; artful; astute; sagacious; discerning; acute; penetrating. — Shrewd, Sagacious. One who is shrewd is keen to detect errors, to penetrate disguises, to foresee and guard against the selfishness of others. Shrewd is a word of less dignity than sagacious, which implies a comprehensive as well as penetrating mind, whereas shrewd does not.
— Shrewd′wb-a1′>′ly, adverb — Shrewd′wb-a1′>′ness, noun
Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), from GCIDE 0.54