shrewdshrewd /ʃruːd/ ●○○ adjective 
Word Origin
Malcolm is a shrewd businessman. She was shrewd enough to guess who was responsible. Capra looked at her with shrewd eyes.2well judged and likely to be right: a shrewd decision Bridget has a shrewd idea of what will sell.—shrewdly adverb: ‘Something tells me you’ve already decided,’ he said shrewdly.—shrewdness noun [uncountable]
Word OriginWORD ORIGINshrewd
ExamplesOrigin:
1200-1300 shrew in the old meaning ‘very bad man’EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
Thesaurus- Are you a shrewd businessman, quick to see an opportunity or a bargain?
- As a manager, Watson is both shrewd and tough.
- Kyle is a shrewd, aggressive manager.
- Sachs was a shrewd judge of character, and chose his staff well.
- Thanks to some shrewd investments, they've got plenty of money left.
- Dark-haired, he had shrewd beady eyes, was clean-shaven and showed the beginnings of a jowl.
- He made a large personal fortune, partly from fees, partly from shrewd investments.
- Pre-match preparation and shrewd organisation have created consistency.
- There was a good living to be had for a shrewd man in an institution.
- They had once been shrewd traders of horseflesh.
- Was he, perhaps, an actor, a ghost, a shrewd fiction?
- We assumed that so long as we moved along shrewd and cautious and quiet we would be safe.
Longman Language Activatorsomeone who is clever at dealing with people or situations► clever
Collocations especially British /smart especially American intelligent in a practical way, and able to use your intelligence to get advantages for yourself: · Ben Gurion was a cool, calculating and clever politician.· They won the case by being clever and hiring influential lawyers to help them.· She was smart and knew how to get men to give her whatever she wanted.clever at doing something: · Doug's always been clever at finding the best deals available.
► shrewd a shrewd person is good at deciding what people, situations etc are really like, so that it is difficult to deceive them - use this especially about people who are successful in business: · As a manager, Watson is both shrewd and tough.· Are you a shrewd businessman, quick to see an opportunity or a bargain?· Sachs was a shrewd judge of character, and chose his staff well.
► astute someone who is astute easily understands why people behave in a particular way, why a situation is happening etc, without anyone having to tell them: · Morgan was surprised at how astute she was. "How did you know that?" he asked.· The scale of the riots seemed to surprise even the most astute commentators.financially/politically etc astute: · The President's wife is often politically astute, ambitious and very influential in White House policy decisions.
► canny someone who is canny is very clever, especially in business, so that it is difficult to deceive them and they are able to take advantage of other people: · Pete Chambers is a canny fellow. Not one to miss an opportunity.· She's far too canny to keep her money in this country. She's got it safely hidden away in Switzerland, I expect.
► resourceful clever at finding ways to deal with problems or difficult situations, using whatever material, information etc that is available to you: · We can influence our children's development by encouraging them to be resourceful when they play.· Keen competition in the arts, crafts and trade made the Greeks an inventive and resourceful people.
► streetwise someone who is streetwise has a lot of experience of life in big cities, so they know what to do in difficult or dangerous situations: · He seemed very streetwise for a kid who had just left school.· Zachar is a streetwise guy from New York, a gambler who grew up playing the horses at Belmont Park.
► be nobody's fool informal to be very difficult to trick or deceive because you have a lot of experience or knowledge of people: · Katherine could look after herself and she was nobody's fool when it came to money.
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES► a shrewd/astute businessman
1good at judging what people or situations are really like: (=able to understand situations in business and make good decisions)· Are you a shrewd businessman, quick to see how to make a profit?
► a shrewd comment (=good at judging people or situations)· His newspaper article is always full of shrewd comments.
► astute/shrewd politician (=one who is good at getting what he wants done)· He proved to be an astute politician.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADVERB► very· But you've got a few months left, enough time for a very shrewd operator to move in.· The principal, William Johnstone, though he played the eccentric was in fact very shrewd.· That was a very shrewd thing to say in 1940 but it did not happen for nearly five years.· Mr D'Arcy had been very, very rich and very shrewd.· It was impossible to tell whether this youth was very shrewd or rather simple.· I think Moira's a very shrewd operator when she's looking at paintings, and I find it very useful indeed.
NOUN► businessman· Are you a shrewd businessman, quick to see the profits of this world?· The haulier will seek to exclude his contractual liability for certain acts or omissions, just like any other shrewd businessman.· New Yorkers are being whipped into a frenzy for mo' Malcolm merchandise by shrewd businessman and film mogul Spike Lee.· Like any shrewd businessmen, the Fuggers knew how to put their cash to political uses.
► move· This was a shrewd move, which brought Edwin in on their side, and the demand was conceded.· Elsewhere, Roy and Barry opened Blubber Cars minicabs-a shrewd move in a square which no one ever leaves.
Malcolm is a shrewd businessman. She was shrewd enough to guess who was responsible. Capra looked at her with shrewd eyes.2well judged and likely to be right: a shrewd decision Bridget has a shrewd idea of what will sell.—shrewdly adverb: ‘Something tells me you’ve already decided,’ he said shrewdly.—shrewdness noun [uncountable]